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BANCROFT'S 



PACIFIC COAST 



3UIDE BOOK 



JOHN S. HITTELL, 



iuUior ol " The Commerce and Industries of the Pacific Coast," " The Resources of California, 
" The History of San Francisco," " A Brief History of Culture," etc. 



WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 



.: 15 



SAN FRANCISCO: '^'^^OPWA 

/L. L. Bancroft & Co., Publishers, 721 JIarkct Street, " "^" ^: 

1882. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, 

By a. L. BANCROFT & COMPANY, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



.H«aU 



PREFACE. 



The main purpose of this book is to present, in a small space, such 
information as will be of most interest to travelers generally, visiting 
the Paciiic Slope of North America. The notable views along the 
line of tke Union and Central Pacific railroads, from the Mississippi 
River to the Pacific, are pointed out ; the various climates of the vast 
region west of the llocky "Mountains, from Panama to the Arctic 
Ocean, are described; and the tourist is taken through the dilTerent 
districts and supplied with such explanation of the features of local 
nature and art as will enable him to enjoy them readily and to con- 
verse about them understandingly. 

The work is not designed exclusively for the pleasure tourist from 
abroad. Special attention has been paid to the needs of invalids, 
especially those of the consumptive class, and the chapters on the 
climates and mineral springs of our slope, (the former copied from 
the Commerce and Industries of the Pacific Coast, by the same 
author, and issued by the same publishers), are the most comprehen- 
sive essaj's ever prepared on their respective subjects. The author 
did not consider it advisable in a compendium like this to give a 
nummary of the opinions of medical authorities, on the therapeutical 
cilccts of different classes of natural medicinal waters, or of the in- 
fluence of meteorological conditions on diseases of the respiratory 
'.ans. He does not hesitate, however, to claim that the best eli- 
te in tlie world for consumptives, and the best mineral springs in 
United States, so far as a judgment can be formed from published 
listics, are in California. 

i '.C'sides the wants of invalids and stranger tourists, those of a third 
-s have been kept in view — the residents who wish to know the 
list places for picnics, camp grounds, summer idling, and country 
walks and drives. The wild and romantic canyons of the San Mateo, 
Pilarcitos, San Leandro, San Pablo, Wild Cat, Nicasio, Reed, Lagu- 
nitas and San Geronimo creeks, within tw.enty miles of San Fran- 



4 PREFACE. 

cisco, are unknown to many old residents of San Francisco, even 
to rich pleasure seekers who have made the tour of Europe. Atten- 
tion is called to them here. Camping is one of the specialties of 
California, and a chapter has been devoted to it. 

The area of which the work treats, is the entire region west of 
the summit of the Rocky Mountains, from Panama to the Arctic 
Ocean ; but a large share of the space is given to the metropolis, 
for the reasons that it is the home or chief stopping place of a 
majority of the tourists; that most of the travel for pleasure is 
within 100 miles of it ; and that the information is fuller and more 
precise in reference to it, than to otlier districts. 

The publishers expect to issue every spring a new edition, with 
such corrections and additions, as will make it one of the most com- 
plete works of its kind. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Chapter I.— NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 



Page. 

Four Routes 11 

The Steamer Route 11 

The a. T. and S. F. Route. 12 
The Central-Union Route. 12 
Council Bluffs to Chey- 
enne 12 

Cheyenne to Creston 14 

Creston to Granger 15 

Granger to Evanston 17 

EVANSTON TO OgDEN 18 

Yellowstone Park 20 

Salt Lake City 21 

From Salt Lake South- 
ward 25 

From Ogden to Palisade . . 26 



Page. 

Palisade to Battle Moun- 
tain 28 

Battle Mountain to Reno . 29 

South from Reno 30 

A Silver Mill 32 

Carson and Colorado R. R. 33 

Reno to Truckee 36 

Lake Tahoe 36 

The Donner Tragedy 38 

Summit to Emigrant Gap . . 39 
Scenery below Emigrant 

Gap 41 

Hydraulic Mining 42 

Sacramento to San Fran- 
cisco 43 



Chapter II.— THE CLIMATES. 



Page. 

Comparative Meteorology. 45 
Standards of Temperature 46 
Meteorological Regions . . 46 
San Francisco Summers ... 47 

Hot Days 48 

Cool Nights 49 

Warm Winters 49 

The Early Spring 51 

San Francisco Rains 51 



Page. 

Fog , 53 

Relative Humidity 54 

Warm Belt 57 

Sacramento Climate 59 

Los Angeles Climate 62 

Oregon Climate 64 

Utah and Arizona 64 

Alaska's Climate 65 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Chapter III.— CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 



Page. 

The Pacific Slope 66 

Pleasure Resort Districts 66 

Characteristics 68 

A Mountainous Country . . 69 

Geological Con^'"ulsions. . . 70 

Mineral Wealth 70 

Peculiar Vegetation 70 

Flowers 71 

Field for Sportsmen 71 

The Californians 72 

Romance of the Present . 72 

The Name California 73 

The Missions 73 

Mexican Dominion 74 

American Settlers 74 

American Conquest 75 

1850 to 1882 75 

Californian Agriculture. 76 

San Francisco 76 

The City's Origin 77 

A City of 100 Hills 77 

Telegraph Hill 79 

San Francisco at Night . . 80 

A Treeless City 80 

A Great Seaport 81 

A Pleasure Resort 81 

The Streets 82 

Architecture 82 

Notable Buildings 83 

Mint 84 

City Hall 85 

Hotels 85 

Safe Deposit 85 

Stock Exchange 85 

Nob Hill 86 

Churches 87 



Page. 

Clubs and Libraries "87 

San Francisco Drives 88 

San Francisco Picnic 

Grounds 89 

Golden Gate Park 89 

Presidio Reservation 91 

Point San Jose 91 

Cliff House 92 

Woodward's Garden 93 

San Francisco Cemeteries. 93 

Chinatown 94 

Joss Houses 95 

Sunday in Chinatown 96 

Chinese Holidays 97 

Funerals 98 

Chinese Theatres 99 

Merchants 100 

Restaurants 100 

Chinese Missions 100 

Conveyances 101 

Alameda County 101 

Oakland 101 

Lake Merritt 102 

Sunday Parks 102 

Berkeley 102 

Piedmont 103 

High Peaks 103 

Drives 103 

MoRAGA Pass 103 

Telegraph Pass 103 

Laundry Farm 104 

Haywards 104 

Alameda 104 

Fruit Vale 105 

Contra Costa 105 

Mt. Diablo 105 



TABLE OP CONTENTS. 



Page. 

San Mateo 108 

Palo Alto 108 

Summer Kesorts 108 

Santa Clara 109 

Santa Clara Towns 110 

Pleasure Eesorts Ill 

Santa Cruz Ill 

City of Santa Cruz 112 

Santa Cruz Big Trees. . . .112 
Santa Cruz Mountains. ..113 

Santa Cruz Ruins 114 

Fata Morgana ,114 

Various Resorts 115 

Monterey 116 

Town of Monterey 116 

Monterey Groves 116 

Hotel del Monte 116 

Pacific Grove Retreat. . .117 

Carmel Mission 117 

San Benito 118 

San Luis Obispo .118 

San Joaquin Valley 118 

Marin 118 

Saucelito 119 

Point Bonita 119 

San Rafael 119 

Tamalpais 119 

Various Resorts 120 

Sonoma 121 

Geysers 121 

Petrified Forest 123 



Page. 

Volcanic Overflows 123 

Sonoma Valley 124 

Russian River 125 

Guerneville 125 

Fort Ross 125 

Sonoma Springs 125 

Napa Valley 125 

Napa City 126 

St. Helena 126 

Calistoga 127 

Mt. St. Helena 127 

East-Napa Ridge 128 

Lake County 129 

Clear Lake 129 

Borax Lake 129 

Thurston Lake 130 

Cobb Valley 130 

Blue Lakes 130 

Sulphur Bank 130 

Bartlett Springs 130 

Adams' Springs 131 

Harbin's Springs 131 

Highland Springs 131 

Other Lake County 

Springs 131 

Mendocino 131 

Humboldt 131 

Sacramento 131 

Tehama 132 

The Foothills 132 

Shasta 134 



Chapter IV. -SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



Territory Included 135 

Los Angeles 136 

San Gabriel Mission 137 



San Gabriel Valley; 
Sierra Madre Villa. 
Anaheim, Etc 



138 
138 
138 



8 



TABLE or CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Santa Baebaba 139 

Santa Barbaea Mission.. .140 

montecito 140 

Hollister's Rancho 141 

Cooper's Rancho 141 

Santa Inez Valley 141 

Santa Barbara Islands ... 141 

Ventura 141 

Ojai 142 

Matilija 142 

San Bernardino 142 



Pago. 

San Bernardino Town 144 

Riverside, Etc 144 

San Bernardino Springs., 145 

San Diego County 145 

San Diego City 146 

Mud Volcanoes 146 

Below Sea Level 147 

Mission of San Diego 147 

Mission of San Luis Rey..147 
La Jolla 147 



Chapter V.— THE SIERRA NEVADA. 



The Chal^ 149 

yosemite 151 

General Effect 152 

A State Park 154 

Routes .154 

Programme 156 

Trails 158 

The Walls 158 

The River 158 

EiRST View of the Valley. 159 

Ribbon Fall 159 

The Ca-pitan 159 

The Bridal Veil 160 

Cathedral Rocks 160 

The Three Brothers 161 

The Yosemite Fall 161 

Sentinel Rock 164 

Sentinel Dome 164 

Glacier Point 164 

Elevations 164 

The Half Dome 166 

Royal Arches 166 

Washington Column 166 



North Dome 166 

Mirror Lake 166 

Vernal Fall 166 

The Nevada Fall 168 

Cap of Liberty 168 

Mt. Starr King 168 

Cloud's Rest 169 

Tooloolweack Fall 169 

Snow and Hail 169 

Saddle Horse Charges. . ,170 

Carriage Charges 170 

Guide and Trail Cil\rges.170 

Guides 170 

Horses 171 

Guardl\n of the Valley. 171 

Yosemite Valley 172 

Method of Formation 172 

Other Yosemities 173 

Mountain Topography 174 

The Californl\n Alps 175 

Big Tree Station 176 

Mariposa Big Trees 177 

The Sierra Forest 178 



TABLE OF 
Page. 

Calaveras Bia Trees 178 

Other Groves 180 

Shasta 180 

Ascent of Shasta 181 

View from Mount Shasta.. 181 

Descent from Shasta 182 

San Francisco to Shasta. .182 

Scenery near Shasta 183 

Mt. Lassen 183 

Snag Lake 183 

Cinder Cone 184 



contents. ^ 

I Page, 

Recent Volcanic Action.. 184 

Boiling L^^-KE 185 

Lassen Basaltic Columns. 185 

Lassen Geysers 185 

Ascent of Lassen 186 

Cottonwood Cave 186 

Redding Cones 186 

Cedar Petrified Forest . . 186 

Sierra Lava Beds 186 

Mono Lake 186 

Glaciers 187 



Chapter VL— OREGON, 

Scope of Chapter 189 

Columbia River 189 

Cascade Range 189 

Hood River 190 

Tillamook Bay 190 

Clatsop Beach 190 

WiLHOiT Springs 190 

Mystic Lake 190 

Washington 190 

PuGET Sound 192 

Snoqualmie Fall 192 



WASHINGTON, ETC. 

Seattle Resorts 192 

Olympia Resorts 192 

Gray's Harbor 193 

Ilwaco 193 

Oysterville 193 

British Columbia 193^ 

Alaska 193 

Arizona 194 

Ruins 194 

Atlantic and Pacific Rail- 
road 194 



Chapter VIL— CAMPING. 



Outdoor Life 197 

Camping Tours 198 

Time for Camping 198 

Saddles 198 

Tents 200 

Personal Outfit 200 

Provisions 200 

Cooking Utensils 201 



Table Ware 201 

Bedding 201 

Tools 201 

Books on Camping 201 

The Camping Party 202 

Santa Cruz Camping Tour. 202 

Marin Camping Tour 203 

Hunting 204 



10 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Bear 205 

Buffalo 205 

Deee 205 

Rabbits, Etc 206 

Wild Hogs, Etc 206 

Carnivorous Animals 206 



Turkey 20G 

Grouse 207 

Quail 207 

Pigeons 207 

Water Fowl 207 

Fish 2O8 



Chapter VHI.— HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 



The Group 209 

Honolulu 209 

Tour of Oahu 210 

Maui 211 



MOLOKAI 212 

Lanai 213 

Hawaii 213 

Kauai ;216 



Chapter IX.— MINERAL SPRINGS 

Medicinal Value 218 

Localities of Springs 219 

Chemists 219 

Alkaline Springs 219 

Alkaline Springs, Table 

of 220 

Purgative Waters 222 

Purgative Springs, Table 

OF ...223 



Thermal Springs 225 

Thermal Springs, Table 
OF 226 

Sulphur Springs 226 

S ULPHUR Springs, Table of . 227 

Other Springs 228 

General Remarks 228 



Chapter X.— DISTANCES, ETC. 



Explanations 230 

Distances from San Fran- 
cisco 232 

Distances from Portland. 258 



Distances from Ogden 264 

Steamboat Routes . . 266 

Rules for Travelers 267 

Railroad Time 270 



CHAPTER I. 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO 



Four Routes. — Four routes are open for travel from New York 
to San Francisco, by continuous steam conveyance. Of these, the 
first is the one by the Central-Union route, that is over the Union 
Pacific and Central Pacific Railways, by way of Omaha and Ogden. 
The second is over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 Railroad to 
Doming, and thence over the Southern Pacific. The third is over 
the Southern Pacific and its connected roads across Texas. The 
fourth is the Steamer route, by way of the Isthmus of Panama. 

Roads are now being built on the Canadian Pacific (52d parallel), 
the Northern Pacific {47th parallel), Denver Pacific (38th parallel)*, 
and Atlantic and Pacific (35th parallel) routes, across the continent, 
but the work has not ^et advanced far enough on either of these 
routes to carry travelers through. The Southern Pacific route, on 
the 32d parallel, is to be fully opened before December, 1882. 

The Steamer Koute. — The trip from New York to San Fran- 
cisco, by way of Panama, occupies from 25 to 28 days, there being a 
difi"erence of 3 days in the length of the alternate trips. The pas- 
sengers by one steamer leave Panama on the day of their arrival at 
Aspinwall ; those of the next one spend a night at the Isthmus. 
The steamers leave New York on the 20th and 30th of every 
month, and touch on the western coast of Central America and 
^lexico, at Libertad, San Jose de Guatemala, Acapulco and Mazat- 
lan. Punta Arenas, Manzanillo and San Bias are visited on alternate 
trips, and those who wish to visit or avoid either of those, should 
examine the time table carefully before purchasing a ticket. The 
cabin passenger is allowed to have 200 pounds of baggage. Per- 
sons wishing to spend two or three days on the Istlimus, will find 
an opportunity to do so when returning from San Francisco, as they 
will discover by studying the time table. 

The Panama route gives facilities to see the tropical vege- 
tation and Spanish-American life at the Isthmus and various landing 
places, and is considered a very pleasant sea voyage, the accommo- 
dations being excellent, and the company on the boats usually 
agreeable and the voyage smooth. The steamer on the Atlantic 
side does not usually stop l)etween New York and AspinwalK 



12 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

The steamer line between San Francisco and New York, by way 
of Nicaragua, was withdrawn a score of years since, and there is 
no prospect that it will be reopened until the ship canal shall be 
constructed on the Nicaragua route. 

The A. T. & S. F. Route.— The distance from New York to 
San Francisco, by way of St. Louis, Kansas City (or Atchison), 
Albuquerque and Los Angeles, over the Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa F6 Railroad to Deming, and thence over the Southern Pacific, 
is 3,700 miles, and the time required for the trip, under the present 
schedule, is 6 days and 20 hours, or 164 hours, which is reduced to 
160| hours after allowing for the difiference in meridian. If the 
traveler starts from New York at 6:25 P. m. on Monday, and goes 
through without delay, he will leave St. Louis, 1,063 miles distant, 
at 9:10 A. M. on Wednesday; Deming, 1,431 miles beyond, at 7 
A. M. Saturday, and, after passing 1,198 additional miles, will 
reach San Francisco at 2:35 p. m. on Monday. 

The Central-Union Route. — Of the various routes from New 
York to San Francisco, the shortest, by way of Chicago, Omaha 
and Ogden, is 3332 miles long, and occupies 6f days, or 159^ hours, 
or 156| hours after allowing for the difference between the clocks of 
the terminal points. If the traveler leaves Manhattan Island on 
Monday at 9 P. m., he will reach the Golden Gate at 11:35 A. M., on 
the following Monday. He leaves Chicago (913 miles from New 
York by the shortest route) at 12:30 p. m., (noon), on Wednesday; 
Omaha at 12:15 p. m., (noon) on Thursday, and Ogden at 6 p. m., 
on Saturday. The time between Omaha and San Francisco is 4 
days. 

The trains between Omaha and Laramie run on Omaha time which 
is 1 hour 28 minutes slower than New York; 33 minutes slower than 
Chicago and 1 hour and 46 minutes faster than San Francisco. 

Council Bluffs to Cheyenne.— At Council Bluflfs your baggage 
will be re-checked, and crossing the Missouri on an iron bridge 2750 
feet long, in 11 spans of 250 feet each, supported by 10 high piers 
— a structure that cost $2,650,000 — you reach Omaha, a thriving 
city of 30,000 inliabitants, in Nebraska. 

From Omaha the Union Pacific Railroad runs in the Platte basin 
for nearly 500 miles. The name "Platte" is the French for flat, 
and was given by Canadian hunters because the stream for much 
of its length is broad, shallow, and flows but little below the wide, 
level valley. It is pre-eminently the flat river. From Valley 
station, 35 miles west of Omaha, the Omaha and Republican Valley 
Railroad branches off southwesterly, running to Lincoln and Stroms- 
burg, distances of about 75 and 100 miles respectively. From Dun- 
can, 64 miles further west, a branch road is built about 125 miles in 
a northwesterly direction to Willow Springs, and another about 50 
miles north to Norfolk. At Grand Island Station, 154 miles from 
Omaha, connection is made with the St. Joseph Line, and also with 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 13 

the Grand Island and St. Paul Road, running northwest about 100 
miles to New St. Helena. 

The track, at the Omaha station, 966 feet above the sea, 
ascends with an average grade of about 64 feet to the mile to Den- 
ver Junction, 3,500 feet above the sea. For 200 miles from the 
Missouri the road runs through a district of rich and moist soil, 
well tilled in productive farms; then the country becomes poorer, 
the farms smaller and rarer, and at Denver Junction we have 
reached the pastoral region. 

Although we are at a high elevation, and are ascending the Rocky- 
Mountains, we see no high peaks, no forests, nor indeed anything 
that reminds us of the proximity of a great continental divide, 
though in length, number of high peaks, and many other respects, 
the one we are approaching is the greatest on the globe. The 
country about us is less mountainous in appearance than in the 
Alleghanies, the summit of which on the Pennsylvania Railroad is 
below the level of Denver Junction. From the last named station, 
which is 371 miles from Omaha, a branch road, running about 200 
miles in a south-westerly direction, connects Denver, Colorado, 
with the Union Pacific Railroad. 

Julesburg, or Weir, 377 miles from Omaha, is the residence of Mr. 
Iliflf, who has a herd of 26,000 head of neat cattle, which pasture 
over a district 150 miles long. About 5,000 head of fat cattle are 
sold annually, bringing an average of $140,000. From Sidney, 43 
miles west of Denver Junction, stages run to Deadwood, 267 miles 
distant, and much freight is sent to the Black Hills mines. Jour- 
neying on 89 miles, we pass a small station called Atkins, and on a 
clear day can begin to see the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains. 
Southward 160 miles is Pike's Peak, whose summit, 14,147 feet 
above the sea, is 12 miles west of the meridian of Cheyenne, and 
156 miles south of its latitude. This peak is not on the main ridge 
of the Rocky Mountains ; the waters from all its sides flow to the 
Atlantic. South-westward is Long's Peak, 14,271 feet high, and 
the highest point on the main divide of the continent visible from 
the road. It is 75 miles south-west of Cheyenne, and occupies the 
angle in the most notable bend of the chain. From the Mexican 
boundary the divide runs for 600 miles to the east of north, till it 
reaches this peak, when it turns to the north-west, which general 
direction it follows till it reaches Alaska. The mountains to the 
north are the Black Hills ; and in a southerly direction, the Span- 
ish Peaks, respectively 13,620 and 12,720 feet in height, are seen 
lower in the horizon and more distant. We cross the Nebraska line 
about 470 miles from Omaha, shortly before reaching Pine Bluflfs, 
and enter Wyoming at its south-east corner. The peaks seen to 
the south are in Colorado ; Elk is in Wyoming, and the Black Hills 
in Dakota. In this region intense cold prevails in the winter, and 
snow falls in sufficient quantity to give much trouble to the railroad 
superintendents. The road in this vicinity is protected in many 



14 NEW YOKK TO SAN FEANCISCO. 

places by fences built on its windward side, and under their lee the 
drifting snow collects before it reaches the rails. A short distance 
east of Cheyenne we go through the first snow-shed, a building 
whicli in winter, when covered with snow, looks like a tunnel, and 
in summer, like a bridge built in a dry cut. 

Cheyenne to Creston.— Since leaving Denver Junction the 
ascent of the mountain slope has become steeper, averaging 
for 139 miles 18 feet to the mile, until 516 miles from the Missouri, 
and 0.041 feet above the sea, we reach Cheyenne, the largest and 
busiest town on the line of the main road between Omaha and Sac- 
ramento. This town owes its prosperity to the combined influ- 
ences of the junction of the Denver Pacific and Colorado Central 
roads with the Union Pacific, the extensive workshops of the com- 
pany owning the road last mentioned, the terminal business of an 
important wagon road from the ' Black Hills, the proximity of the 
national military post. Fort Russell, 3 miles distant, and its selec- 
tion as the Territorial capital of Wyoming. Cheyenne is also 
connected by railroad with Fort Laramie, 89 miles to the north, 
and is distant 106 miles from Denver, the capital of Colorado. It 
has 5,000 inhabitants, an active business, and many substantial 
Iraildings. It is situated exactly half way between Omaha and 
Ogden. 

At Cheyenne commences the longest stretch of steep ascending 
grade on the road in our westward course. For 33 miles the aver- 
age ascent is 66^ feet to the mile, ending at Sherman, the highest 
railroad station on the continent, 8,242 feet, or more than one and 
a half miles above the sea. When first opened in 1868 this was the 
highest railroad station in the world; but others still higher have 
since been constructed in South America. Sherman is 549 miles 
from Omaha, and its superior height might lead the tourist to infer 
that it is on the summit of the main divide ; but it is on a spur 
which runs out to the northward, between the headwaters of the 
South Platte and of the Laramie rivers, the latter a tributary of 
the North Platte. Two miles west of Sherman the road crosses the 
canyon of Dale Creek on an iron bridge or trestle work 650 feet 
long and 130 feet high. Near Sherman are some piles of granite 
known as Skull Rocks. 

From Sherman we descend with an average grade of 46| feet to 
the mile, for 24 miles to Laramie; the direction of the road" having 
changed from the west, to north-north-west, which direction we 
take for about 60 miles. 

Red Buttes Station, 15 miles from Sherman, is so named because 
of some pinnacles of fantastic shape, north of the road. They rise 
to a height of 600 or 800 feet above the level of the adjacent land 
and probably owe their elevation to superior hardness, the softer 
material that surrounded them in a remote past having been v/ashed 
away. 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 15 

The Medicine Bow Range and its chief peak, Sheep Butte, 9,7*22 
feet high, are visible in the west. At Red Buttes we have 
reached the Laramie plain, from 6,500 to 7,500 feet high, and 60 
miles long by 40 miles wide. It is the most northerly of a series of 
similar high valleys in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by ridges 
considerably higher. The most notable of the sister valleys, the 
others being called "Parks," are superior in timber and scenery, 
but inferior in indigenous pasturage. The town of Laramie has a 
population of 4,000, and the only rolling-mill between Omaha and 
Ogden. Looking westward from Laramie we see Sheep Butte with 
;^iount Agassiz on its left. Besides cattle, large flocks of sheep graze 
on the adjacent plains. 

Cooper's Lake Station, 27 miles west from Laramie, is named 
from a lake about 2 miles long and half a mile wide, visible from the 
water tank. 

At Lookout, about 5 miles further on, we may observe a grayish 
green shrub, with a trunk which appears as if it had been split by 
twisting, and leaves which have an unpleasant odor. This is the 
sage brush, a common feature in the landscape for the next 1,000 
miles. Soon after leaving Lookout, we get a view of Laratiiie Peak, 
10,000 feet high, to the northward; and, at the same time, the 
^Medicine Bow Range is in plain sight on the other side of the road, 
Elk Mountain, its principal peak, being 11,511 feet high. 

After passing Aurora Station, 55 miles from Laramie, the traveler 
can see Como Lake, 3 miles long and 1 mile wide. It is fed by 
warm springs, and abounds with newts — lizard -like amphibia, 
which can breathe under water, and live in the open air. They 
attain a length of 18 inches, and sometimes may Ije caught on the 
rocks. 

Medicine Bow River, which wo cross beyond Aurora, runs north- 
ward, and is a tributary of the North Platte. Beyond Medicine 
Bow Station we get a good view of Elk Mountain, which, however, 
is seen to the best advantage from Percy, 15 miles beyond. 

Carbon derives its name from valuable coal mines in its vicinity. 
The principal vein is 10 feet thick and the annual product is about 
100,000 tons. 

At Separation, 722 miles from Omaha, water is obtained from 
an artesian well 860 feet deep. There are many of these wells 
along the line. Approaching Creston we have a good view, and 
the last one, of Elk Mountain and of the Black Hills. Shortly after 
leaving it, we see the Wind River Mountains, with Fremont's Peak, 
13,570 feet high, to the northwestward. Pilot Butte is visible to 
the west. 

Creston to Granger. — West of Creston 2h miles, and 89^ miles 
from Sherman, we reach the main divide between the two oceans 
at an elevation of about 1,140 feet less than that of the last named 
station. As the water flowing eastward from Creston reaches the 
Atlantic through the North Platte, 1,200 feet of ascent could have 



16 NEW YORK TO SAN FEANCISCO. 

been saved by following up the canyon of tbat stream, but the 
greater distance, the more costly grading and the steeper grades on 
that route, in the opinion of the railroad engineers, more than 
counterbalanced all its advantages in other respects. The waters 
flowing westward from Creston go to the Green River, a tributary 
of the Colorado, and so find their way to the Gulf of California. Of 
all the large rivers of the temperate zone, the Colorado is the one 
that has the greatest amount of desert and the smallest proportion 
of land suitable for tillage, in its basin. It receives all the waters 
flowing down the western flank of the Rocky Mountains through 10 
degrees of latitude, and has not anywhere a tract 10 miles square 
of fertile and moist soil suitable for tillage in all its basin. Indeed, 
through a great part of its length it has no valley, but instead, 
an immense if not an unparalleled canyon, more than a mile deep 
between nearly vertical walls of rock for a long distance. The 
scenery about Creston does not suggest the summit of a great moun- 
tain range. The road is not steep, nor when it has reached the top 
does it find a narrow gateway. Looking southward from Creston 
we seem to be in a wide plain, but this is Bridger's Pass, and 
Bridger's Station is on the old stage road at the base of the distant 
hills. 

Red Desert Station is in a little alkaline basin with a scanty rain- 
fall and no outlet to the sea, at least none in ordinary seasons. 

Table Rock Station is named after a steep bluff", 600 feet high, 
with a level top, south of the road. 

Bitter Creek Station is in a valley which we follow down 60 miles 
to Green River. The waters of Bitter Creek derive their name 
from their alkaline taste which is strongest when the stream is low. 
The scenery in some parts of the valley is interesting. 

When approaching Black Buttes Station, observe the large, loose 
rock north of the road, and about 20 yards distant. The station 
derives its name from some hills that may be seen to the southward. 

Point of Rocks is named from some columns of stone, the summits 
of which are 350 feet above their bases, and 1,100 feet above the 
road. At the base of these columns there are 7 springs of sulphur 
and several of iron- water. From, an artesian well, 1,000 feet deep, 
water is pumped by steam to supply the station. There are pi"0- 
ductive coal mines near Point of Rocks, and also strata of rock con- 
taining remarkable petrifactions of oyster shells, and of the leaves 
of elm, maple and fan-palm trees. 

Rock Spring has an artesian well 1,145 feet deep, and in the 
vicinity there are productive coal mines. Here the cars enter the 
deeper portion of the gorge of Bitter Creek, where we are in sight 
of wild scenery for 13 miles ending at Green River. 

The village of Green River, at the crossing of that stream, has 
500 inhabitants. Here moss agates and samples of petrified wood 
and fish may be found for sale in the stonss. East of the river and 
north of the bridge are remarkable cliffs of sandstone. This rock 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 1/ 

formation consists of thin strata in whicli numerous petrifaction.'.; 
occur. In many places near the river, rock columns of singular 
shape have been left by erosion. Among these the most notable arc 
Castle Kock, the Twin Sisters, the Giant's Club and the Giant's 
Teapot. 

When approaching Bryan, 13 miles from Green River Crossing, 
by looking to the south and southeast, we obtain a view of the sum- 
mit of the Uinta Mountains, a high ridge running nearly east and 
west from the Wasatch to the Rocky cliain, except where inter- 
sected by Green River, and about 70 miles south of the road. At 
Bryan we strike Black's Fork of Green River, and follow it up with 
an ascending grade for 30 miles. Near Marston may be seen hills 
with vertical sides, looking like towers, 

(ilranarer to Evanston. — Granger has been selected as the start- 
ing point for a railroad that is to run through Idaho and Eastern 
Oregon to Umatilla on the Columbia River. Work has been com- 
menced from both ends. After passing Granger, excellent views of 
the snow-covered Uintas are obtained. 

Church Buttes Station is named from a remarkable hill about 10 
miles south of the road, with vertical walls worn by the water to 
resemble long lines of columns. Moss agates are more abundant 
here and at Granger than at any other stations. 

Within a radius of 20 miles from Carter are numerous coal beds 
and springs of sulphur and chalybeate waters. Fort Bridger, a 
national military post, is 10 miles from this station to the south- 
ward. In the neighborhood there is much game, including grouse, 
deer and bsar. Bridger Station, and also the Fort, are named after 
a noted trapper and guide, who died in 1875, when nearly 80 years 
of age, after spending most of his life in the Rocky Mountains. 

After leaving Piedmont look out on the left to see the track and 
the snow-sheds. The longest shed on the Union Pacific, more than 
half a mile in length, is found on the summit, two miles west from 
Aspen, which has ai^ elevation of 7,835 feet. The ridge which we 
cross here — the eastern boundary of the Utah Inclosed Basin — 
called by some persons the Uinta range, is properly the W^asatch. 
It is worthy of note that this mountain is higher on the line of the 
railroad from Omaha to San Francisco than either the Sierra Nevada 
or the main divide of the Rocky chain. 

Aspen Station is named from Quaking Aspen Mountain, 8,688 
feet high, seen in the north. 

At Milliard Station the train passes under a V flume, the first on 
the road. It has a current of water which conveys timber, lumber 
and firewood from the forest on the side of the mountains, a distance 
of 24 miles, in which it descends 2,000 feet. 

Many Sulphur Springs are found at distances within 20 miles 
from Billiard. Soon after leaving Millis, four miles west of Hil- 
liard, we come to Bear River, which we follow for two miles and 
then cross. This stream rises on the western slope of the Wasatch 



18 NEW YORK TO SAX FRANCISCO. 

Mountains, flows nearly clue north 200 miles, and iheu making a 
sharp turn runs as far nearly due south, and empties into Salt Lake, 
of which it is an important tributary. A branch of Bear River 
widens out into Bear Lake, 15 miles long and 7 wide, one of the few 
fresh water lakes in the Utah Basin. From the Bend to Snake 
River the distance is only 50 miles, and there is no high intervening 
ridge. 

Evanston to Ogden.— Evanston, on the bank of Bear River, 
just half way between Omaha and San Francisco, 957 miles from 
either terminus, has 1,500 inhabitants, most of whom obtain their 
support from lumbering and coal mining industries. The chief coal 
mines are 3 miles from the Union Pacific to the northward, and are 
reached by a branch road. The line between Wyoming and Utah 
crosses the road west of Evanston, and is marked by a sign which 
stands on the south side of the track, and has " Wyoming " on one 
side and "Utah" on the other. 

The Utah Inclosed Basin, one of the remarkable features of the 
world's topography, has no outlet for its waters. Its rivers flow 
into salt lakes, which rise every winter on account of the rains, and 
fall every summer under the influence of evaporation. There are 
also irregular periods, that may last from 5 to 20 years of predomi- 
nant rise, alternating with other periods of fall. Not more than 2 
per cent, of the whole area is covered by water. This great basin 
is divided into many smaller subordinate basins, which never, since 
they were observed by white men, have sent any water to the sea, 
or to any of the adjacent basins, and never will, so long as the pres- 
ent climatic conditions continue. 

The most notabFe of the subordinate basins are those of Salt and 
Sevier lakes in Utah ; of Humboldt, Pyramid and Walker's lakes 
in Nevada ; of Owens, Mono, Amargosa, Mojave, Seven Palms and 
Honey lakes in California, aiid of Harney in Oregon. Some of 
these lakes are also called "sinks" of their streams, the water of 
which spreads out in the winter over a considerable space of flat 
ground, and in August or September, after a dry summer, almost 
disappears. Our road takes us through the basins of Salt, Hum- 
boldt and Pyramid lakes, for a distance of 631 miles. The soil and 
atmosphere are too dry for vigorous vegetation, except in a few 
places where there are facilities for irrigation, and the Utah Basin, as 
a whole, is a desert. It includes portions of California, Oregon, 
Idaho, Utah and Nevada, but not all of any one of these political 
divisions. 

At Castle Rock, 20 miles from Evanston, we enter the canyon of 
Echo Creek, which we follow down 30 miles to the larger canyon of 
Weber River, and in that we have an equal distance to travel, mak- 
ing 60 miles of canyon, with steep rock walls, which have many 
strange forms and colors, with a lieight that often rises to nearly 
2,000 feet. The crooked course of the canyon, and the wildness of 
its rocky scenery, make this one of the most interesting portions of 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 19 

the road. We enter the canyon nearly on a level with the top of 
its walls, and gi-adually descend as it gets deeper. It is customary 
at Castle Rock to attach an observation car at the end of the train, 
so that passengers can have a view not obstructed in any direction, 
save in front where the other cars are. Castle Rock is so named 
from a rock resembling a tower with a large gateway east of the 
station, and near it are some needle-shaped rocks. Perhaps a mile 
west of the station are The Swallows' Nests, a name given to 
some holes high up in the rocky wall of the canyon. Most of the 
attractive scenes are on the north side of the canyon. Near Emory 
is Hanging Rock, a point at the summit of a high cliff, projecting 
several hundred feet over the valley beneath. Seven miles below 
Hanging Rock we come to Steamboat Rock, or the Great Eastern, 
a high point which beavo some lesemblaucc to the prow of a large 




PULPIT ROCK. 

o^ean steamer. Just before reaching Echo Station, and near the 
bend of a bluff called Bromley's Cathedral, on the right of the road 
is Pulpit Rock, the summit of which is about GO feet above the 
track. It derives its name from its supposed resemblance to an old- 
fashioned pulpit. 

Echo Station, at the mouth of Echo Creek, is notedfor the echoes 
which suggested the name. A square column of rock, perha])s 50 
feet thick and 250 high, styled the Monument, is one of the remark- 



20 NEW YOUK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

able features of the canyon. Branch railroads run from Echo south 
to Coalville and to Park City. Coal-beds'are worked in this vicinity 
and yield at present about 400 tons daily. Some irregular columns, 
yellow, reddish and gray in color, about 100 yards north from the 
road, and as far above its level, are known as the Witches' Rocks. 

Four miles below Echo, the train enters the Narrows, and soon 
passes a solitary fir tree with a sign "1,000 miles from Omaha." 
Below this ti-ee the road crosses to the south bank of the river, and 
back again to the north bank, and then we come in sight of the 
Devil's Slide, where two parallel, vertical strata of rock, each about 
15 feet in thickness, and as far apart, project in places 100 feet or 
more from the steep side of the canyon, leaving a deep trough be- 
tween them. 

At Weber Station, 25 miles east of Ogden, the traveler may ob- 
serve a sign, "Z. C. M. I," which is prominent in many of the Mor- 
mon towns. It means "Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institu- 
tion." The Latter-Day Saints have made a remarkable success in 
trading on the co-operative principle, and a branch of this "institu- 
tion " is to be found in all their large towns. Devil's Gate, at the 
lower end of Weber Canyon, is one of the grand scenes on the route, 
and then we emerge out into the valley of Salt Lake, and 13 miles 
beyond Ave reach Ogden, the point where the Union Pacific road 
ends and the Central Pacific begins. It is, moreover, a terminus of 
the Utah and Northern Railroad, which is completed as far as Sil- 
ver Bow, Montana, 409 miles; and of the Utah Central which runs 
south 280 miles, to Frisco, Utah, making 689 miles of road nearly 
on the meridian, crossing the line of the Union and Central Pacific 
at right angles. Ogden has a population of 6,000, most of whom are 
Mormons. Situated at the southern base of steep mountains, the 
summits of which are covered with snow most of the year, it is 
4340 feet above the sea, and 1,032 miles west of Omaha. A small 
canyon in the mountains back of Ogden, has pleasant scenery and 
deserves a visit from the tourist having a day at his disposal. 

Yellowstone Park, — Ogden is also the best point from which to 
reach the Yellowstone Park, a National Reservation, containing 
within its limits many natural wonders. The visitor leaving Ogden 
by the Utah and Northern Railway, crosses the Ogden River, and 
after a ride of 9 miles reaches Hot Springs Station, where there are 
several mineral springs, the temperature of the water being 125^. 

About 3 miles north of Richmond, and 74 miles from Ogden, we 
cross the line separating Utah from Idaho. 

At Arimo, 125 miles north of Ogden, we find a stage running to 
the Great Soda Springs, 35 miles east of the railroad, and near the 
bend of Bear River. There are about a dozen of these springs, all 
of them surrounded with a whitish deposit of lime. One of the 
springs blows, out steam at intervals. The waters are considered 
valuable for their medicinal qualities, and it is expected that wlien 



NEW YOKK TO SAN FKANCISCO. 21 

better known, they will attract a great number of people. A small 
liotel provides accommodation for visitors. 

At Eagle Rock, 204 miles from Ogden, the road crosses Snake 
River, which here, 250 feet deep, affords tine salmon-trout fishing. 
Near Spring Hill Station, 300 miles from Ogden, we enter Montana. 

At Ddlon, 348 miles from Ogden, we take stage for Virginia City, 
84 miles distant, each passenger being allowed 40 pounds of baggage. 

From Virginia City to the hotel in the park, the distance is 95 
miles, and the time IG hours by stage. 

The park embraces an area of about 3,400 square miles, being 
rectangular in shape, with sides 54 by 64 miles; the east and west 
line being the shorter one. On entering by the Virginia City Road 
the visitor first comes upon hot springs, and then sees the lower 
group of the Fire Hole River Geysers, the upper group being about 
10 miles distant from the lower. Between the two groups is the 
Midway Basin where are some of the largest hot springs 
known. The Upper Basin contains the principal geysers which are 
8 in number, with jets, in some instances, 18 feet in diameter, 250 
feet high, bursting out at intervals of an hour or more, and lasting 
from 20 to 30 minutes. We then go to Yellowstone Lake, a sheet 
of water 20 miles long, over 15 wide, and 7,427 feet above the sea. 
It is studded with tree-clad islands, and abounds with fish. On the 
western shore of the lake are hot springs, one of which is so near 
the lake that it is possible for an angler to catch a trout, and, turn- 
ing in his tracks, drop the fish into the hot water and cook it there. 
The outlet of the lake — the Yellowstone River — is at its northern 
extremity, and passing down the stream 18 miles, we come upon 
the Upper Fall, measuring 140 feet in height. Near this point Cas- 
cade Creek falls 129 feet. Less than a mile below the Upper Falls 
we reach the (xreat Fall, where the river makes a descent of more 
than 350 feet, and then tlows for 30 miles through a canyon whose 
walls are 1,500 feet high in places. Near the northern line of the 
park are the Mammoth Springs, the most remarkable grouj) of hot 
springs known. Good views of mountain peaks, over 10,000 feet 
high, can l)e had at several points. 

Salt Lake City, — Ogden, however, is a point of interest to 
many travelers, chiefly on account of its position at a terminus of 
the Utah Central Railroad, which leads to the Holy City of the Lat- 
ter Day Saints, 37 miles to the southward. 

At Summit Station, 8 miles from Ogden, we are in the region 
from which Salt Lake Valley derives its supply of coal. 

At Centreville, 20 miles from Ogden, the lake approaches nearest 
to the mountains. 

The road from Ogden to Salt Lake City is nearly level, and runs 
half way between the mountains and the lake, which are about 10 
miles apart. The soil is fertile, but some of it, not provided with 
water for irrigation, is covered with sage brush. Most of the small 
towns along the i-oad are supported by agriculrural regions, and 



22 KEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

orchards are plentiful in all settlements. The following extract 
from Through the Rocky Mountains, by A. K. McCIure, is intro- 
duced as being here j^ertinent. "One of the first duties required 
[of a Mormon] when a new farm is opened, is the planting of all 
kinds of fruit, and the result is that in every settlement the houses 
are first recognized by the clusters of green foliage or fragrant blos- 
soms that surround them. As an industrial system the Mormon 
Church is a positive success, and challenges the admiration of the 
most embittered foes of this peculiar religious faith. I did not see 
a single home of a Mormon where there were signs of dilapidation 
or decay. " 

Salt Lake City " lies at the north-west base of a spur of the Wa- 
satch Mountains, 12 miles from the south-east extremity of the 
Great Salt Lake, with an expansion to the south of more than 100 
miles of plains." It has an area of 5,730 acres, with 25,000 inhab- 
itants, and an elevation of 4,300 feet above the sea, and 50 feet above 
the level of the lake. The straight streets, 132 feet wide, cross 
each other at right angles, and most of them have a small current 
of clear water and a row of trees along the edge of each sidewalk. 
The blocks, containing 10 acres each, are about 700 feet square, 
and their greater part, except in the business portion of the 
city, is occupied with gardens and orchards. The houses have a 
look of solidity and comfort ; the business of the city is active, and 
there are many evidences of growth. The most notable building is 
the Tabernacle, 250 feet long by 150 feet wide, with an arched roof 
65 feet high in the middle. On the main floor and its galleries 
there is space for 8,000 people, and in its acoustic design it is su- 
perior to any other large hall in the United States, and probably on 
the globe. A good speaker, even if his voice is not strong, can be 
distinctly heard in all parts of the hall. It contains a fine organ, 
made in the city, and mostly of material produced in Utah. The 
Tabernacle is the principal place of ^Mormon worship, and tourists 
spending Sunday in the city sliould not neglect to attend the 
services. 

On the same block with the Tabernacle is the Temple, which is 
to be 184 feet long by 116 wide, and about 96 feet high, exclusive of 
the towers, the spires of which will reach an elevation of 192 feet. 
The interior is to be 120 by 80 feet, and the building will cost, it is 
said, $15,000,000. A quai-ter of a century has elapsed since its 
foundation was laid, and at least three-fourths of the work are still to 
be done. The Stake Tabernacle, the Theatre, the City Hall, and the 
building of the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution, are among 
the most prominent buildings. The principal hotels are the Towns- 
end and Walker houses. Within the city limits, and only a mile from 
the principal hotels, and accessible by horse-cars for those who do 
not wish to walk, are some warm springs, supplied with comfortable 
bath-houses, where the Russian or Turkish baths can be obtained 
by those not content with the natui-al water, which has common 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 23 

salt and sulphate of magnesia among its mineral constituents, and 
a luke-warm temperature. A mile beyond the Warm Springs are 
the Hot Springs, which have a temperature of 200". 

Camp Douglas, a national military post, 2 miles cast of the city, 
on elevated ground, commands a beautiful view. 

The high mountains are near the city, and grand in their forms. 
One of the favorite pleasure resorts for the people of Salt Lake City, 
is Lake Point, on the shore of the lake, 20 miles distant. It has a 
hotel, bath-houses, a nice beach, and is reached by the Utah West- 
ern Railway, which is completed to Stockton, 19 miles beyond the 
Point. A small pleasure steamer makes the tour of the lake when 
parties so desire. 

Great Salt Lake is 80 miles long, about 50 wide, and 4,200 feetabove 
the sea. It has mountain views on three sides, and several islands 
dot its surface. Advantage has been taken of the density of its 
waters, and from 10,000 to 15,000 tons of excellent salt are annually 
produced by evaporating the brine in tanks, into which the water 
is lifted by pumps. 

The tourist when visiting Salt Lake City, will be led naturally to 
reflect upon the strange religion of the people among whom he 
finds himself. Mormonism is one of the wonders of the XlXth 
century, and a most unnatural product of a skeptical age, in a land 
of the highest average of popular intelligence. Many forms of 
ancient superstitions may have been the natural and innocent de- 
velopments of imaginative ignorance and credulity, but every in- 
telligent person who carefully reads the history of the founder of 
Mormonism without becoming a convert to his doctrines — this ex- 
pression admits that intelligent and sincere men are to be found 
among its converts— is satisfied that his so-called revelations are a 
studied fraud, devised to aggrandize himself by giving him control 
of the faith and money of his followers. His scheme was well de- 
vised for his purpose, and partly on account of the sound judgment, 
steadfast courage, and eminent tact of his successor, Brigham 
Young, it has secured a foothold that seems to be permanent. But 
prejudice against Mormonism should not blind the observer to the 
good points of the Mormons. No other community has done moi^e, 
with equal means, in the same space of time. After they had been 
persecuted and mobbed in Illinois and Missouri, they determined to 
establish a home beyond the Rocky Mountains, where they would 
have the predominance and could defend themselves. On the 24th 
of July, 1847, Brigham Young, with 151 otlier Mormons, encamped 
on the place now occupied by the Mormon Temple, in Salt Lake 
City, when the territory still belonged to Mexico, or at least had 
not been ceded to the United States. There the Mormon Presi- 
dent determined to build the Holy City of his Church, and there it 
has been built. Poverty, privation and arduous toil have been the 
lot of his followers generally, but they have enjoyed peace and in- 
creasing prosperity. Their numbers and productive industries have 



24 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

shown a constant and large growth. In their methods of settling 
disputes by arbitration, and of conducting mercantile business by 
co-operation, they are unequaled. They have less drunkenness, 
less gambling, and fewer public women than any other American 
community. These are undeniable and important facts. Their 
"plural marriages," as they call it, objectionable as it may be, is 
not associated with slavery, concubinage and the seclusion and 
gross ignorance of the women, as in Mohammedan countries. Tliey 
have a good common school system, and do not discourage free in- 
quiry. Their church members are allowed to read, and their book- 
stores to sell books attacking their creed ; they even go so far as to 
open their churches for discussions with Christian clergymen. 
They have few lawyers, and few criminals. The administration of 
justice is prompt and cheap; the Courts do not make themselves 
ridiculous by trying cases over half a dozen times. Their leaders 
have been men of serious character and of superior capacity. When 
President Buchanan devised a plan for diverting attention from the. 
slavery question, by getting up a Mormon war, Brigham defied, out- 
witted and frightened him. The Mormons have been accused of 
general responsibility for numerous murders and thefts, but such 
charges when made against an extensive community, living in la- 
borious poverty, with unexampled harmonj^ and mutual helpfulness, 
rebound against the malignity or prejudice of the accusers. The 
loudest denouncers of tlie Mormons are men who have never ex- 
amined the evidence needed to support their assertions, and do not 
understand the importance of weighing both sides with an impartial 
mind. Until the tourist finds conclusive proof that the Mormon 
community, or its leaders, as a body, are responsible for serious 
crimes, let him look upon the error of belief here established as one 
of the singular phases of humanity — as on Mohammedanism — a 
step in the march of our race, not necessarily indicative of any 
moral obliquity or grave mental inferiority on the part of its ad- 
herents. Some Mormon women dislike polygamy, but generally 
they avoid conversation with strangers on the subject, for fear that 
they will have to hear offensive remarks about their religion, and 
they believe that the women, as a class, are happier in Utah than 
in any other part of the world. The signs of poverty are far more 
abundant than those of discontent. 

One chief trouble in the way of the Mormon Church is the prom- 
ise of our National Government to suppress polygamy, the practice 
of which, however, does not seem essential to the perpetuation and 
spread of the creed. 

Since the death of Brigham Young, John Taylor has been the head 
of the Mormon Church. George Q. Cannon, who will probably 
come next in the order of succession is considerably younger, and 
by many persons is considered the ablest man now in the liierarchy. 

According to a newspaper repox't, Mr. Cannon gives 2,500 as his 
estimate of the number of polygamous families in Utah, averaging 



NEW YORK TO SAX FRANCISCO. 25 

three wives to each. In a few cases, one husband has twelve wives. 
Brigham Young had a larger number. 

From Salt Lake Soutlnvard.— The road bearing the tourist 
south of Salt Lake City, a continuation of the one that brought 
him into it, is known as the Utah Southern Kailroad. Its general 
course is up the Jordan Valley and along the eastern shore of Utah 
Lake. The scenery is varied ; to the east the peaks of the Wasatcli 
range, and on the other hand a succession of cultivated farms, with 
thriving villages interspersed. 

At Junction, 12 miles south of the Mormon metropolis, the Bing- 
ham Canyon and Camp Floyd Xarrow Gauge Railroad leaves our 
line and leads to the south-west about 20 miles, to the Bingliam 
Canyon mines. The principal business is transporting ores, and the 
traveler can visit the silver mines by this route without discomfort. 

Sandy, a mile further south, is the point of junction with the 
Wasatch and Jordan Valley Railroad, also a narrow gauge line. 
This road runs into Little Cottonwood Canyon, 17 miles in an easterly 
direction to Alta. Between Wasatch Station and Alta the grade 
is so steep, in one place (nearly 600 feet to the mile), that a loco- 
motive engine cannot be used, and the cars are drawn l)y animals. 
Returning, the descent is made under the impulse of gravity. This 
portion of the road is completely covered by snow-sheds. There are 
falls in the canyon, and the general scenery is wild. 

In ]jlaces where the approach to a mine is too steep for the use 
of ordinary vehicles, ore is brought down in a sack of ox hide, 
drawn by mules. The granite for the temple at Salt Lake City is 
quarried near Wasatch. Between Draper and Lehi, both farming 
villages, the tourist conies in sight of Utah Lake, 30 miles long, 6 
to 10 wide, and 500 feet above Great Salt Lake. To the south is 
Mount Nebo, 11,992 feet high, the loftiest peak of the ^N'asatch 
range. 

At a distance of 34 miles from Salt Lake City we reach American 
Fork, an incorporated city having about 2,000 inhabitants. From 
this point a narrow gauge road formerly ran 17 miles to Deer Creek 
in American Fork Canyon, but the mines with which it connected 
having proved unprofitable, the rails were taken up. The canyon, 
with steep walls, 3,000 feet high in places, and wild scenery, is well 
worth a visit. The wagon road in the canyon is good. 

Provo, 48 miles from Salt Lake City, is a city of 5,000 inhabi- 
tants, situated on the Provo River, a tributary of Utah Lake. 
Here are the largest woolen mills between Omaha and San Fran- 
cisco, 

Springville, the terminus of the Utah and Pleasant Valley Nar- 
row Gauge Railroad, running to the Pleasant Valley coal mines, 
has a population of 2,500, and is 53 miles from Salt Lake City. 

From Santaquin, our next station, it is al^out 15 miles to the Tin- 
tic silver mining district, where several stamp mills and smelters 
may be seen in operation. 



2(5 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

At Neplii, 91 miles south of Salt Lake City, we have an excel- 
lent view of Mount Xebo. 

After leaving Jnab we enter the Sevier River Valley, and crossing 
the river follow down on its left bank. This stream, rising in the 
Wasatch range, flows northward about 100 miles, then making a 
bend runs southward 50 miles to Sevier Lake, a sheet of salt water 
20 miles long, 10 miles wide at its widest point, and 4,600 feet 
above the sea. 

At Milford, 226 miles from Salt Lake City, our road tends to the 
westward, and 1/ miles beyond we reach the present end of the 
track. 

Frisco (named after San Francisco by an abbreviation in com- 
n^ion use), a mining town, situated at the eastern base of the San 
Francisco Mountains, is chiefly notable as being the nearest point 
to the celebrated Horn Silver Mine, a vein of ore remarkable 
for its size, general uniformity of assay, and large production. 

We are now in a subtropical climate, and the surrounding val- 
leys produce cotton, tobacco, rice, grapes, and fruits ranging from 
the apple to the pomegranate. 

From Ogden to Palisade.— Starting west from Ogden, we 
change our Avatches to San Francisco time (2 hours 26 minutes 
behind Omaha, and 1 hour 56 miuutes behind Laramie). After 
going 8 miles we pass the Hot Springs, the stream of which rising 
at the foot of the mountain, may be seen from the cars in cold 
weather. Corinne, 25 miles from Ogden, is a Gentile town (all per- 
sons not of their faith are termed by the Mormons Gentiles), 
and the only one of note in Utah under gentile control. 

Promontory, 53 miles from Ogden, is the place where the last 
spike was driven. May 10th, 1869, connecting the Central and 
Union Pacific railroads, and completing the track from the Sacra- 
mento to the Missouri rivers. Communication with the wires at 
the roadside was so made that the blows of the hammer with which 
the spike was driven were telegraphed to the expectant people in 
all the great cities of the nation. A sign-board, 4 miles west of 
Promontory, at the side of the road, says : ' ' Ten miles of track 
in one day." The day was April 29th, 1869, and 4,000 men were 
employed to put 2,000 tons of rails, spikes, fish-plates and bolts, 
together with the ties, in place. The two companies had been rac- 
ing, each expecting to hold all it could build, but after the meeting 
at Promontory, President Grant decided that the two roads should 
meet at Ogden, and the Uilion surrendered all west of that place to 
the Central Company. The Union had extended its grade 53 miles 
to the westward of Promontory, with the expectation of building 
so far. Between Rozel and Lake Station a sign-board shows 
the western limit of the 10 miles of track laid in one day. 

Monument is the last station near the lake, but the view is not 
so good as from a liigher elevation a few miles west of Kelton, en- 
abling us to see the further shores of the lake, and the W^asatch 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 27 

and Oquirrh mountains. Beyond Keltou is the terminus of an im- 
portant wagon road used by nmch of the freight and travel of 
{Southern Idaho. The great Shoshone Falls of the Snake River, 190 
feet high and 700 feet wide, are 110 miles from Kelton and 10 from 
the Kock Creek Station (on the Idaho stage road), where a carriage 
can be obtained. .The landscape is desolate, but the scenery grand. 

At Matlin Station we are near the northern border of a bare flat, 
that seems to have been tlie bed of a lake, the beach line of which 
may be seen at the base of the hills on the right. Beyond Terrace 
we obtain a view of Pilot Peak to the south-west, one of the promi- 
nent landmarks of this region. It is 36 miles south of Tecoma, 
shortly before reaching which station we see a granite monument at 
the roadside marking the boundary between Utah and Nevada. 

Since leaving Kelton the road has lieen rising gradually to cross 
the Pequop Mountains, which have an elevation of 6,184 feet at 
Pequop station. On this ridge half a dozen snow-sheds are neces- 
sary for the protection of the track. We descend into Independence 
Valley, obtaining some fine views as we go down the winding road, 
and then ascend to Moore's, 6,166 feet high, in Cedar Pass. Leav- 
ing the summit we enter the basin of the Humboldt River, and 
remain in it with a continuous descent for 318 miles. We enter the 
valley of the river soon after leaving Cedar. Wells, 676 miles from 
San Francisco, tlie end of the Salt Lake Division of the Central 
Pacific, and a place for changing conductois and locomotives, is 
named from a score of well-like springs half a mile west of the sta 
tion. They do not overflow, and though not warm, never freeze 
over, though the thermometer goes to zero in the winter. The 
ground round them is elastic, and some of the residents express a 
confident opinion that this soil is merel}- a thin shell covering a sub- 
terranean lake, the "v^ater of which fills the crater of an extinct 
volcano. It is said that sounding with aline 1,500 feet long failed 
to find bottom. The facts that the wells contain indigenous fish, 
and that the water never freezes in the intense cold of winter, nor 
becomes offensive to the taste or smell in the heat of summer, are 
evidences of the lake theory. Southward from Wells the traveler . 
will observe a mountain ridge, the northern end of which is called 
Castle Peak, and is snow-capped through much of the year. This 
ridge, like most of those in Nevada, runs parallel with the meridian. 

Bishops is named from Bishop Creek, which enters the Humboldt 
from the north, through the canyon which ^ttracts attention on the 
right. 

Camp Halleck, a National military post -which gives its name to 
Halleck Station, is at the base of the mountains, distant 13 miles to 
the southward. After passing the station, we see Elko Moimtain on 
our right, but the road turns and the mountain then appears on our 
left, to the southward, and stays there, till out of sight. 

Below Peko, the North Fork of the Humboldt enters the Hum- 
boldt River, breaking through the mountains in a large canyon. It 



28 NEW YORK to SAN FRANCISCO. 

is about as large as the main stream. From this point westward, 
"the Humboldt River grows smaller under the influence of evapora- 
tion and absorption in the summer and fall. The Osino Canyon be- 
gins near the mouth of the North Fork, and before entering it, 
we cross that stream. The canyon is remarkable for its sharp" curves. 
Elko is an "eating station," and some travelers assert that it is 
the first place on the westward line where you can get first-rate 
bread made in Californiau style. The town is supplied through 
pipes with water from the hills, 17 miles to the north. Here we see 
for the first time the Piute Indians, a filthy and degraded race, 
Near the town, to the northwest, are mineral springs, three hot and 
three cold. One of the hot springs has a temperature of 185°, 
another is a "chicken soup" spring, being thickened naturally with 
an unctuous clay, to the thickness and color of restaurant chicken- 
soup, and the resemblance in taste is complete approximately, when 
well seasoned with salt and pepper. The springs have a bath- 
house. A daily stage runs northward from Elko to Tuscarora, 
Cornucopia, Cope, and other mining towns; and southward to Bul- 
lion there is a semi-weekly stage. A few miles west of Elko, iu 
cool weather, the steam may be seen rising from hot springs on the 
south side of the river near a bridge on a wagon road. The canyon 
on the left is that of the South Fork of the Humboldt. After 
leaving Moleen we enter the Five Mile Canyon, and near the en- 
trance are some eroded ledges of tower-like forms known as the 
IMoleen Rocks. Carlin has the repairing shops of the Humboldt 
Division of the Central Pacific Road, and before the construction of 
the railroad to Eureka, was the termiims of the main wagon-road 
to that place. 

Palisade to Battle Mountain. — Below Carlin the track enters 
the 1 2-mile, or Palisade Canyon, which has steep rock walls from 
500 to 1,000 feet high, and much wild scenery. In this canyon is 
the Palisade Station, where the narrow-gauge railway, 90 miles long, 
starts for Eureka — now, in spring of 1882, the most productive sil- 
ver mining district in Nevada. Its ores are argentiferous galena, 
which is reduced by smelting, the first product being base bullion, 
or lead, containing usually from $300 to $400 of silver in a ton. 
Some of the mines send their base bullion to San Francisco to be re- 
lined; the Richmond refines at the mine. At Curo we emerge from 
the Palisade Canyon, and soon see the Cortez Mountains to the 
northward. 

Beowawe, said to be tlie Indian title meaning "friendly gate," — 
and the topography of the vicinity renders the term suitable — is 
a station at Copper Canyon where the Humboldt breaks through a 
ridge, crossing its course at right angles. Below Beowawe, willow 
thickets line the river for 20 miles, and pelicans are numerous there 
in the summer. It is said that some of these birds, while breeding, go 
every day to Humboldt Lake, more than 75 miles distant, and 
bring back a load of fish in their pouches for their consorts and 



NEW YOUK TO RAN FRANCISCO. 29 

young. It is a good story, whether true or not. On tlie southern 
border of the valley below Bcowawe, there is a cluster of 100 hot 
spi'ings, the steam of which can ])e seen from the cars in cold 
weather, especially when they have one of their spouting fits, during 
wliich, besides steam, tliey throw up water and mud to a height of 
80 feet. At Shoshone, Rock Creek enters the Humboldt from the 
north, and is its last tributary worthy of notice. The stream has 
increased little in size in the last 50 miles — we have followed it for 
220 — and below this point the quantity of water decreases under 
the influence of evaporation and absorption. Between Shoshone 
and Argenta, Dnnphy and Hildreth of San Francisco, have a cattle 
ranch, measuring 20,000 acres, and their cattle kept here and in 
Southern Idaho number 40,000 head. West of Argenta we pass 
the outlet of Eeese Eiver, a tributary of the Humboldt, but its 
tribute is never paid, except in seasons of exceptional rainfall. At all 
other times the waters of Reese River evaporate or sink into the 
ground before they come within 20 miles of the Humboldt. 

Battle Mountain to Reno.— Battle Mountain is the starting 
point of the Nevada Central Railway, which extends 93 miles south- 
ward to Austin, the chief town of the Reese River mines. The 
road is of narrow gauge. About 40 miles south of Austin, by 
wagon road, the tourist can find a natural curiosity, called the 
Devil's Punch Bowl. At the top of a smooth, rounded elevation, 
1,200 feet in diameter at the base and 100 feet at the siimmit, is a 
deep, well-like opening, partly filled with boiling water giving off 
steam. 

Battle Mountain was named from a high ridge, the summit of 
which is about three miles from the station to the southward, and 
the ridge was so named because of a battle which occurred there 
about a quarter of a century since, between some Piute Indians and 
a party of white men whose cattle had been stolen. Many of the 
noble red men were sent to the happy hunting grounds, and after- 
wards cattle were more secure property in that neigh boi'hood. 

Near Iron Point is the mouth of the Little Humboldt, which 
drains Paradise Valley lying north of the road. This is the last 
valley of note opening into the Valley of the Humboldt. There is 
nothing worthy of mention at Golconda, save some very hot springs 
west of the station and north of the road. They are used for 
irrigating gardens, and occasionally for scalding hogs. Since leav- 
ing Omaha our general course has been due west, and starting from 
latitude 41° 15' we have not deviated 50 miles on either side from 
that parallel, in a distance of 1,450 miles. At Tule we reach the 
Big Bend of the Humboldt, and for the next 500 miles our general 
course is to the south-westward, the direction for 150 miles being 
south-south-westward. 

Winnemucca, named for a chief of the Piutes, is 475 miles from 
San Francisco, and is the end of a railroad division. Here we 



30 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

change conductors and locomotives, and have a good view of the 
Santa E,osa Mountains to the northward. 

Humboldt Station is noted for its orchard and garden kept green 
by irrigation. South-eastward, distant 10 miles, is the summit of 
Star Peak, the highest point in the East Humboldt range ; north is 
the Eugene ridge ; west is the Trinity ridge ; north-west, between 
the station and the river, are the Lassen or Humboldt Meadows, 
and in the same direction, 30 miles distant, is the most productive 
siilphur mine on our continent. We cross the river, 5 miles beyond 
Oreana, and after leaving Granite Point, looking to the left we see 
Humboldt Lake, 30 miles long and 10 wide. This lake has an 
outlet 10 miles long, leading to the sink, 40 miles wide and 25 long, 
into which the waters of Humboldt and Carson lakes both flow after 
rains more abundant than the average. 

The White Plains Station, west of the sink, has an elevation of 
3,894 feet, the lowest point between the Sierra Nevada and the 
Eocky Mountains, the lowest indeed between Colton, on the Union 
Pacific, and Shady Eun, on the Central Pacific, a distance of 1,296 
miles. 

Mirage Station, 366 miles from San Francisco, is so named from 
the frequency of the atmosj)heric illusions seen in the vicinity. An 
enlargement in the channel, connecting Humboldt Lake with the 
sink below it, is called Mirage Lake. 

At Hot Springs Station we can see the steam rising from springs 
about half a mile from the track on the left. 

Wads worth, in the basin of the Truckee, was the terminus of an 
extensive freighting business, by mule teams, to the region on the 
south until the Carson and Colorado Railroad was built in 1880. 
The stretch of 250 miles between Palisade and Wadsworth, is very 
unpleasant to travelers in hot, dr}' weather. The heat in midsum- 
mer is intense, and the dust is alkaline and acrid, causing soi'eness of 
the nose and chapping of the lijjs. 

At Wadsworth we reach the banks of the Truckee River, which 
we are to follow 30 miles, going up stream. The Truckee has no 
existence except between Lake Tahoe, 22 miles long, 10 wide, and 
1,700 feet deep, fresh, and 6,167 feet above the sea, and Pyramid 
Lake, 35 miles long, and 12 wide, saline, with an elevation of 
4,890 feet. The river is 97 miles long, and serves to drain one lake 
and feed the other. With an average fall of 13 feet to the mile, it is 
for most of its length an impetuous stream, and often carries a very 
large quantity of water. Usually all its water goes to Pyramid 
Lake, (so-called from the shape of a rock rising from its midst 600 
feet above its surface), but when the lake is high, part of the supply 
flows into Winnemucca Lake, which is 8 miles distant, and separated 
by a high ridge from Pyramid. 

Soutll from Reno.— Reno, near the middle of tlie Truckee Val- 
ley, with much fertile soil and water for irrigation in its vicinity, 
has one of the best situations in the state for a town. Practically, 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 31 

Reno, 50 miles from the summit, is the eastern base of the Sierra. 
It is the point which has been selected by the railroad builders as 
the best place from which to start raih'oads running to the north- 
vrard and to the southward. The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is 
52 miles long, and so crooked that its curves put together are equiva- 
lent, it is said, to 17 complete circles. This unsurpassed crookedness 
suggested a fiction, that an engineer, scared at night by the proximity 
of two red lights on the track, jumped from his locomotive to escape 
a collision, though the lights were those on the rear end of his own 
train. The general course of the road is southward for 31 miles 
from Reno to Carson on the bank of the Carson River, and then 
northeastward 21 miles, with an ascent of over 100 feet in a mile to 
Virginia City, 6,205 feet above the sea. The distance from Reno to 
Virginia City, by tiie Geiger Grade wagon road, is 21 miles, and in 
a direct line 16 miles. Four miles from Reno, beyond Anderson's 
Station, we come to a V flume which brings lumber down from the 
mountain side, 15 miles above. At HufiFaker's, 3 miles beyond, we 
come to another flume, and at Brown's another, and there are others 
at Washoe, Franktown and Carson. Steamboat Station, 11 miles 
from Reno, derives its names from Steamboat Springs, which issue 
from a mound, 1,200 feet long by 400 wide. Fissures in the mound 
about 12 inches wide and of irregular shape, emit pufis of steam. 
The temperature of the water varies from 60" to 212°, and it is im- 
pregnated with sulphur. Bathing-houses, with a hotel and cottages 
are built on the premises, the altitude of which is 4,500 feet above 
the sea. The springs have neither so much steam nor so much water 
as they had 20 years ago, and the decrease is explained by many 
persons on the theory that the water conies from the Comstock Lode, 
the surface of which at Virginia is nearly 2,000 feet above the level 
of the springs. The miners find water with a temperature of 160° 
in the lower workings. Steamboat is not far from the course of the 
vein. ]\Iuch of the water of the Comstock mines runs ofl" through 
the Sutro Tunnel, and there has been no decrease in the water 
supply of other hot springs in the vicinity, so the theory is not 
without plausibility. The water supply at Steamboat has fallen 
away so much that borings were made to increase it, and the result 
was successful. 

Washoe, 16 miles from Reno, once a busy town — its name was 
used to designate the mines at Virginia City for years after their 
discovery — is in a valley which contains a lake 4 miles long and a 
mile wide. West of the southern end of the valley is Mount Rose, 
6,448 feet high. Washoe has a picnic gi'ound on Capt. Dall's 
place near the lake, and another at the Bowers' Mansion. When 
the rich deposit of auriferous quartz was discovered at Gold Hill, 
about 1860, Sandy Bowers, an uneducated miner, owned a good slice 
of the vein, and he soon became a millionaire. He built a magnifi- 
cent dwelling, obtained furniture and upholstery from France at 
enormous expense, planted the grounds with beautiful shrubbery 



32 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

and had the most elegant home in the State. His fortune went as 
it came, swiftly; his widow survives in poverty; the garden has dis- 
appeared and the dwelling is a curiosity. After leaving Mill Station, 
we rise to the summit of the ridge south of Washoe Valley, and 
have a comprehensive view of the valley and lake. At this ridge 
we cross the line of the Virginia City water-pipe, the most remark- 
able work of its kind in the world. It is of sheet-iron, seven miles 
long, and sustains a pressure of more than 1,700 vertical feet of 
water. The pipe is a foot in diameter, and the quantity of water 
delivered daily is 20, 000, 000 gallons. Soon after leaving Lake View 
Station we can look down on Carson Valley and Carson City, the 
Capital of the State, and the site of a National Mint. A favorite 
picnic ground near Carson City, used also by the people of Virginia, 
is the Treadway Place on the banks of the Carson E,iver. It has 
a green lawn, fruit trees, and pleasant shades. About a mile west 
from Carson City are Swift's Springs, which have a hotel, bath- 
house, swimming bath, and an abundant supply of natural hot water 
in the midst of a plain covered with sage brush. One of the springs 
is of the kind known as "Chicken Soup," described on page 28. A 
coach makes regular trips from the principal hotels and the railroad 
station to the Springs, and the charge for a bath with a ride both 
ways is 50 cents, A hot spring in the State Prison Grounds, a mile 
from Carson, is not open to the use of the general public. Genoa, in 
the vicinity of Carson, has some hot springs, one of the features of 
which is a mud-bath. There is a hotel to accommodate visitors. 

A Silver Mill. — Three miles east of Carson, on the line of the 
railroad, is Empire, which has a large silv^er mill on the bank of the 
Carson River. A silver mill pulverizes the ore under heavy iron 
stamps, which are arranged usually in sets of 5, side by side, in an 
iron box or battery, and they are lifted and then allowed to drop 
successively, making a loud, rattling noise. A stream of water run- 
ning into the battery on the upper side, and out through a wire or 
sheet-iron screen on the lower side, carries off the ore as fast as it is 
sufficiently pulverized, and deposits it in tubs from which it is 
shoveled into cast-iron pans, about 5 feet across and 2 feet deep, in 
which it is mixed with common salt, sulphate of iron, quicksilver, 
and enough water to make a thin mud. It is stirred around for 
hours, by which time the silver is sufficiently amalgamated or mixed 
with the quicksilver, and the pulp runs off to a settler in which the 
amalgam falls to the bottom and the water and worthless material 
escape. The amalgam is pressed out in a canvass bag to get rid 
of the loose quicksilver, and the thick, remaining mass is heated to 
redness which drives off the quicksilver, and leaves a spongy mass 
of precious metal. This is melted and r^a into bars. The processes 
of pulverizing, amalgamating and separating the precious metal 
from the amalgam, are all included under the general term of reduc- 
tion, which is the business of silver milling, while the mining de- 
partment has charge of the extraction, which finds the ore and 



NEW YORK TO SAN FEANCISCO. 33 

brings it to the surface. The ore reduced at the Empire Mill is 
brought down from Virginia City by rail. There are other silver 
mills, below the Empire, on tlie Carson lliver, and each has its 
chute on which ore is sent down from the cars. The Santiago Mill 
is 500 feet below the road, 

Carson and Colorado Railroad.— Mound House, 41 miles from 
Reno, is the terminus of the Carson and Colorado Kailroad, 3 feet 
gauge, which extends to Belleville, 150 miles in a southerly direc- 
tion, and accommodates the traffic of Bodie with its gold mines, 
Columbus witli its borax deposits, and a number of silver mining 
districts. Mound House is also the station nearest to Sutro, the 
outlet of the Sutro Tunnel, which is 19,790 feet long, and cost 
$4,500,000, without interest, for construction. It strikes the Com- 
stock 1,898 feet below the cioppings of the Gould and Curry mine, 
and is of great service for the drainage and ventilation of the lode. 
Unfortunately, since its completion in 1879, the mines have pro- 
duced relatively little. The Carson and Colorado Railroad crosses 
the Carson River at Dayton. G miles from Mound House, ascends 
Churchill Canj-on, a tributary of the Carson, crosses over into 
Mason Valley, in the basin of the Walker River, follows that 
stream to Walker Lake, a sheet of water 25 miles long, 7 wide, and 
3,840 feet above the sea, skirts the lake on the west, and passes on 
beyond to the region of the borax deposits. Hawthorne, 100 miles 
from Mound House and 4 miles south of Walker Lake, is the sta- 
tion whei-e the trains connect with the wagons and stages of Bodie. 
Virginia City. — Eleven miles noi'thward by rail from the Mound 
House we arrive at Virginia City, the terminus of the road. Vir- 
ginia City stands on the side of a steep hill, and offers little oppor- 
tunity for the construction of level roads. The only pleasant 
drive is that to Steamboat Springs, 8 miles distant, on the Geiger 
grade, over a romantic mountain, with wild rocky scenery, but no 
trees near the road. The city, with its suburb, Gold Hill, has 
about 7,000 inhabitants, and for its existence depends on the Com- 
stock Lode, one of the largest and richest argentiferous veins in the 
world, and without excei)tion the most productive in the last half 
of our century. It has been distinctly traced for a distance of 3 
miles, and has an average width of 20 feet, though in one 
place where the ore was very rich it spread out to 300. The deepest 
workings are 3,000 feet below the surface, in the Belcher and Yel- 
low Jacket mines, 2,800 in the Imperial, 2,700 in the Crown Point, 
2,600 in the Ophir, jSIexican and Union, and 2,500 in the Consoli- 
dated Virginia, California and Sierra Nevada mines. The total 
yield since 18G0 has been about $325,000,000. The lode croi)s out ou 
the eastern slope of a ridge, which culminates in Mount Davidson. 
The engraving on the next page is intended to show a vertical 
section of the Comstock Lode, drawn on a scale of 2,000 feet to the 
inch, as seen in imagination from the east, looking westward. The 
baseline is 3,000 feet below the level of the Gould & Curry MiL; 



34 NEW YORK TO SAX FRANCISCO. 

the top line follows the level of the surface where the main works 
were originally established. The little marks at the base line indi- 
cate the limits of the different mines, which are numbered consecu- 
tively, beginning at the north, and the name of each mine is placed 
with its numberbeneath the engraving. Between the Belcher and 
Alta Mines, a distance of 3,000 feet, no mines are mentioned as 
there is a dispute about the course of the vein. The dark strips in 
the engraving show the barren portions of the vein; the middle 
tint indicates the supposed situation of "pay chutes" iu which rich 
ore bodies may be found; the light tints respresent the rich ore 
bodies ; and the white lines running down from the surface are the 
main shafts and inclines. Five pay chutes each nearly a quarter of 
a mile long horizontally, appear in the engraving, and between each 
adjacent pair there is a barren chute of equal length. The first pay 
chute commencing at the north, contained a body of rich ore in the 
Sierra Nevada and Union Mines, but produced neither dividends 
nor any considerable quantity of mineral. The second pay chute 
discovered at the surface in 1860, was very profitable for three 
years, then yielded nothing for ten years, and for six years, from 
1874 to 1879, was profitable. It paid $140,000,000 gross, to the 
Mexican, Ophir, California and Consolidated Virginia companies. 
The third, appearing in the Gould and Curry, Savage, Hale & Nor- 
cross and Chollar Mines, has turned out $55,000,000. The fourth, 
known as the Gold Hill bonanza, was worked at first at the surface 
as a gold placer, then mills were established to save the gold, losing 
most of the silver, and silver mills have succeeded them. The 
ground now owned bv the Imperial, Yellow Jacket, Kentuck, Crown 
Point and Belcher has produced $110,000,000. The fifth pay chute 
has jnelded several millions, but has paid no dividends. 

Auriferous quartz is generally, and argentiferous quartz sometimes 
found in pay chutes, the remainder of the veins being nearly or quite 
barren ; but many intelligent miners familiar with the Comstock 
Lode believe that it has no pay chutes, and that the ore bodies are 
scattered in it without discoverable system. Most of the rich de- 
posits so far found liave in general form approached the shape of 
beans, standing upright or nearly upright, but many of them were 
too small to be shown on the engraving. 

The Comstock Lode is, in many respects, the most remarkable 
silver- bearing vein in the World. The Veta Madre, or Mother 
Vein, at Guanajuato, ISIexico, and the great vein at Cerro Pasco, 
Peru, are similar to it in length, width and great production, but in 
three centuries neither has yielded much more than did this lode in 
twenty years. Potosi, in Bolivia, has turned out considerably more 
silver, but it has no one large vein equal to the Comstock, 

This ridge has a north-north-east, and a south-south-west course, 
and its eastern side has a descent of about 25" from the horizontal, 
while the lode dips at an angle of 45", The first streets of the 
town run along the mountain sides near the croppings, and the 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 



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SB NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

deeper the shafts the farther down hill the hoisting works and mills 
were built. The summit of Mount Davidson, 7,827 feet above the 
sea, commands a view of an extensive region, most of which con- 
sists of numerous mountain ranges, rocky in their material, steep 
and angular in their forms, dull and monotonous in their colors, and 
bare of vegetation. Virginia City, only 2 miles to the eastward, 
shows no gardens, grass-plots or trees. The meadows of the Truckee, 
25 miles to the northward ; the farms and pastures of the Washoe 
Valley, 15 miles to the westwai'd, and of the Carson Valley as far 
to the southward, have distinct green tints, which are much modi- 
fied by the haze of distance. The coniferous forest of the western 
slope of the Sierra is dark brown rather than olive in its color. To 
the eastward, we see the lower part of Carson Valley and the Hum- 
boldt Desert, both as cheerless as wild sage and bare sand. 
The higher portions of the mountains visible from Mount Davidson 
are covered with snow through much of the year. The scene, 
though not without its grand features, is always desolate. Among 
the prominent features of the landscape are Mount Lincoln, Silver 
Mountain and Job's Peak, and the Humboldt range may be dis- 
cerned on the eastern horizon. Geneva and Dayton may be seen, 
but Carson City is hidden. 

Keno to Truckee. — Ketuming to Reno we notice the Nevada 
and Oregon Railroad, the construction of which has been com- 
menced recently. The road connects with the Central Pacific, and 
the main reliance of its projectors in the near future is the trans- 
portation of timber from a magnificent forest about 30 miles from 
Reno. Taking an overland ti'ain again, we resume our westward 
journey. Shortly after passing Bronco Station, about 285 miles from 
San Francisco, we see a sign by the roadside, bearing the words 
'• State Line," and marking the 120th degree of longitude west of 
Greenwich, the boundary north of Lake Tahoe between California 
and Nevada. 

Boca, 207 miles from San Francisco, is situated at the mouth of 
the Little Truckee River, the name Boca being Spanish for mouth. 
The town has lumber mills, extensive ice-houses, and the largest 
lager beer brewery on the coast. Prosser Creek is chiefly notable 
as the terminus of a V flume. Ice is cut and stored here in winter 
for the San Francisco market. 

Lake Tahoe. — Truckee is the point where the Truckee River, 
after running northward from Lake Tahoe for 15 miles, makes a 
rectangular bend to the east, and where the railroad in its westward 
course leaves the river and begins its steep ascent of the mountain. 
Truckee is the centre of an active lumber trade, and is the point 
where most of the tourists for Lake Tahoe take stages. The wagon- 
road leads southward and upward in the canyon of the Truckee, 
between steep hill-sides, in some places covered with timber, and 
elsewhere spotted with stumps. The outside seat with the driver is 
desirable for the scenery is interesting, and cannot be seen so well 



KEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 37 

fi'om the inside of the stage. The driver, if requested, will point 
out a log-slide, where logs or bolts of wood are sent sliding down 
the steep mountain side, in a channel made with the trunks of small 
trees. At the lower end of the slide, the wood jumps with a tremen- 
dous splash into a pool of water, which protects it from being split 
by the concussion, and holds it in readiness to be carried down to 
Truckee by the V flume, alongside of which the stage-road runs. 
The canyon, though it has no large bend, has many little ones, each 
of which makes a change in the landscape. The forms of the hills, 
rocks and trees, the colors of the foliage, the dark green of the still 
water, and the white foam of the rapids, present many beautiful 
scenes. The willows and aspen-like cottonwood, on the edge of the 
river, are light green in the spring and summer, and red and yellow 
under the autumnal frosts, and here and there some other deciduous 
tree serves as a contrast to the more sombre colors of the conifers. 
Every minute brings some new object of interest into sight, until 
the stage drives into a village called Tahoe City, at the north- 
western corner of the lake, where we find a wharf from which we 
can step aboard the steamer Governor Stanford, bound for different 
parts on the lake shores, or we may stop at the hotel. 

Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long, 10 wide and 1,700 feet deep. Its 
surface is G,247 feet above the sea; its waters are clear and cold, 
and abound with large trout of fine flavor. Steam and sail-boats 
on its waters, and hotels on the shores, ofier their accommodations 
to the pleasure seeker, and the locality is much visited during the 
summer. There are hot springs on the shore near the north-east 
corner of the lake, on the line between the two States, supplied 
with a hotel and bath-houses. When the steamboat leaves the 
shore for a trip round the lake we look down with astonishment. 
The boat appears almost as if suspended in the air. The bottom, 
distinctly visible to a depth of 50 or 60 feet, instead of being mud 
or sand, as is usual in lakes, is composed of clean gravel, showing 
that no slime is carried into the lake from the surrounding moun- 
tains. The rock of the lake basin is nearly all granite, and when 
it disintegrates|, usually takes the form of a clean sand. The color 
of the water, when the depth is not over 20 feet, is of a delicate yel- 
lowish green, and under a clear sky, the rays of the sun are collected 
in streaks of brightness by the waves, and the lights and shades 
thus formed, dance over the bed of the lake with singular eflect. 
When the boat passes over greater depths — the deepest point is 1,500 
feet — the color of the water, as seen from the sunny side, passes to 
a light indigo blue. As seen in the shade, the color, in places a deep 
black near the boat, at a distance shows deep blue, and rich pur- 
ple hues near the middle of the lake. At the immediate edge there 
is a seam of brilliant emerald, even where there is nothing in the 
bank or sky above to furnish any similar tint by reflection. At the 
southern end of the lake there is an extensive shallow^ ranging from 
5 to 20 feet deep, and suddenly the bottom pitches off to a depth of 



38 NEW YORK TO SAN FIIANC1SC6. 

500 feet Or more, the position of the sharp and crooked edge of this 
under water cliff being clearly indicated by the light green water 
on one side and deep purple on the other. 

The route of the boat is, the greater part of the way, near rocky 
shores, with abundant forests of pine, and occasional fringings at 
the water's edge of deciduous foliage. Here and there on the 
mountain sides, at elevations of 7,000 feet or more above the sea, 
snow is visible in patches. The last port touched in the round of 
the lake is Glenbrook, on the eastern shore. This place is the site 
of several saw-mills, and the terminus of a railroad, on which tim- 
ber is carried to the top of the mountain, and thence sent in a flume 
down to Carson City, whence it goes by rail to Virginia City, there 
to be used in bracing up the great excavations made in mining, or as 
fuel. The trees are cut on all sides of the lake, and made into rafts, 
to be towed by steam to Glenbrook, whicli thus is an immense base 
of supplies. The shores of the lake abound with delightful nooks 
and valleys, and there are comfortable houses for the accommoda- 
tion of visitors. Lake Tahoe is remaikable from the fact, that not- 
withstanding the intense cold of wdnter, its water never freezes, and 
it remains so cold through the summer that the bodies of persons 
drowned in it never decompose, and therefore never come to the 
surface. At least 12 white persons have been drowned in it. We 
now return again to the Central Pacific. Truckee is 5,819 feet and 
Summit 7,017 feet above the sea, and the distance by road is 15 miles, 
an average ascent of 79 feet to the mile. This may be a good place to 
say that the word Sierras, as applied to these mountains, is incorrect. 
The primary meaning of the Spanish Sierra is saw, and the term is 
applied to high mountain chains, the comb or edge of which, seen 
from a distance, suggests saw-teeth. As it would be improper to 
say "the Rocky Mountain chains," so it is improper to say "the 
Sierra Nevadas, " or "the Sierras." 

The Donner Tragedy. — Leaving Truckee, with a new conduc- 
tor and a fresh locomotive, we are on the Sacramento Division of 
the road. Northwest of Truckee, and 2| miles distant, is Donner 
Lake, a beautiful little sheet of water, 3i miles long, a mile wide, 
and 250 feet deep. Aside from its natural attractiveness, the locality 
has a tragic interest as the site of a camp where the Donner party of 
emigrants, (so styled from their captain, George Donner,) on 
their way with ox -teams from Illinois and adjacent States to the 
Sacramento Valley, were arrested by snow, in October, 1846, and 
detained until many died of starvation. They arrived at the lake 
on the 28th of October, and, after spending a few days there, came 
to an understanding that they would kill all their cattle for food, 
and start afoot to cross the mountains; but that night snow began 
to fall, and continued falling for several days, covering up their 
<jamp and causing their animals to wander ofl' and get lost in the 
deep drifts. Several of the cattle were recovered alive and 
the carcasses of others were dug out of the snow; but by the 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 39 

middle of December provisions were getting low and it became 
necessary to take immediate steps to prevent starvation. One bear 
liad been shot and this appears to have been the result of their at- 
tempts to live on the country, although as the lake aboimds in ex- 
cellent trout it seems strange none were taken through the ice. Ac- 
cordingly on the 16th of the month a party of 17, several of whom were 
women, was formed to seek relief in the valley to the Mestward. 
The survivors of this party, 2 men and 5 women, reached the first 
house on the western slope of tlie Sierra, on the thirty-second day 
after starting. Their sufferings on the way were terrible. Traveling 
through a trackless waste amid snows from 12 to 60 feet in depth, 
without shelter at night and often without fire, their scanty supply 
of provisions soon gave out, and life was only supported by canni- 
balism. A relief party was soon formed to rescue the remainder of 
the unfortunates at the lake, but such were the difficulties of travel 
that, although this party was followed by a second, and the second 
by a third and a fourth, it was not ^^ntil after the middle of April 
that the undertaking was accomplished. The party that went into 
camp near the lake, in October, consisted of 81 souls, of whom 23 
males and 24 females lived to reach the valleys of California, and 34 
died of cold and starvation. 

Sliiuinit to Emigrant Gap.— Summit Station is surrounded by 
interesting scenery, and is the best stopping jDlace for those who 
wish to spend a few days in the High Sierra near the railroad. 
Lake Angeline is only a mile distant. Lake Conner is two miles, 
and Lake Tahoe 22 by the trail, and numerous small lakes, some of 
them beautifully situated amidst the timber on little benches or 
flats in the mountain side, are found within 5 miles. The Summit 
Soda Springs, a pleasant resort with a hotel for the accommodation 
of visitors, is 6 miles distant, by a good wagon-road. The chief at- 
traction of the vicinity, however, is Mount Stanford, called by some 
writers "Castle Peak," and by others, "Fremont's Peak," 9,175 
feet high, only 4 miles north from the station. This is one of the 
loftiest peaks between Lake Tahoe and the Oregon line, and com- 
mands the most extensive view to be found near the railroad. 
Within the range of vision, with the unaided eye, on a clear day, 
are the Coast Range, the Marysville Buttes, Downieville Peak, 
Mount Lincoln, Mount Davidson, and extensive regions in the basins 
of the Truckee, Carson, Humboldt and Sacramento, besides all of 
Donner Lake and half of Tahoe. The high slopes of Mount Stan- 
ford are covered with loose stone, and at the top tliere are pinnacles 
of rock so difficult of ascent, that very few persons have reached 
the summit. The ascent to excellent points of view can be made on 
horseback, but good walkers will find it more satisfactory to go 
afoot. Mount Lincoln, al)Out six miles south of the railroad, is 
next to Mount Stanford the highest peak in the vicinity. Carriages 
can be obtained for trips to Donner Lake, Summit Valley, (2 miles 
long by one wide, and drained by a tributary of the Yuba River,) 



40 NEW YORK TO SAN i'KANCISCO. 

and other interesting points in the vicinity. At Summit we pass 
through a tunnel 1,659 feet, and then begin to descend to Emigrant 
Gap, which has an elevation of 5,225 feet. The difference in the 
height of the two ends of the line of sheds indicates the greater 
snowfall on the western slope of the Sierra. In an average winter, 
55 feet of snow fall at the Summit, 45 at Emigrant Gap, and 35 at 
Strong's Canyon, but at the latter place the cold is more severe than 
at Emigrant Gap, the snow drifts more and does not melt so soon. 
The 55 feet of snow, when old and packed down, will not measure 
more than 20 feet and perhaps not so much. An ordinary train can- 
not run through fresh snow 2 feet deej^, but a snow-plough, pushed 
by three or four heavy locomotives, will easily go through 10 feet 
of soft snow, even if not very fresh. When the snow is dry and 
loose, so that it can drift, it fills up the track almost immediately 
behind the plough, so that the only secure way of keeping the track 
clear is to cover it with sheds. These, in some places are intended 
to protect the track against the fall or drift of snow; in other places 
they are designed also to guard the trains against avalanches which 
are common on the steep mountain slopes. Tlie strength of 
the sheds is proportioned to the immense weight and strain to which 
they are exposed ; they are 34 miles in length, and cost about 
$10,000 a mile. From Soda Springs Station another wagon road 
leads to the Soda Springs already mentioned. 

Scenery below Emigrant Gap.— As the snow sheds almost com- 
pletely shut off the view, we do not get a chance to see much of the 
country between Strong's Canyon and Emigrant Gap, but after 
leaving the latter station, the most impressive scenery on our route 
begins to come into view. We are 5,000 feet above the sea, and at 
turns in the road we can look down over the tidewater, 75 miles to 
the southwest, and see the Coast Range, 150 miles away to the 
west and southwest. But wide as is the prospect, with the naked 
eye we can see little distinctly in the distance. The mountains 
near us sink down into hills, beyond which are plains darkened in 
places with timber. The Coast Range, if its edge w^ere horizontal, 
might be mistaken for the ocean, so dim does it appear. The 
vicinity of the road claims the greatest part of the traveler's atten- 
tion and admiration. He is in a Avilderness of sharp ridges, separ- 
ated by steep canyons, 2,000 or 3,000 feet deep, covered in many 
places with magnificent forests, and even when clothed with cha- 
parral, or bare, rich in color and interesting in form. We look down 
from the top of one of these ridges into a canyon so deep, that its 
bottom is dim in the haze, and the sun, still high in the heavens, 
strikes the mountain side a thousand feet from the base. The Am- 
erican River, 2,500 feet below, looks like a rivulet; the trees are like 
shrubs; the gardens like figured napkins, and the houses like pigeon 
boxes. Far down iu the canyon is a narrow-guage railroad, with 
rails that seem no larger than telegraph wires. Directly in front of 
us are other mountain ridges, and beyond them the Coast Range 



NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISOO. 41 

with the interveuing valley. The whole panorama forms a sublime 
spectacle, in wliich is mingled a touch of terror when the train i-uns 
along a narrow track, cut from the edge of a vertical cliff, 1,000 feet 
high, with a curve so sharp that the engines are out of sight, and 
rounds tlic headland of Cape Horn. Another element, that takes a 
strong hold on the thoughts of the traveler, is the rapid advance into 
a region of exceptional fertility of soil and geniality of climate. For 
more than 1,000 miles he has been passing through a desert. On 
the summit, if he comes in the winter or spring, he may see the snow 
10 feet deep along the road which for months in the average winter 
would be impassable for 30 miles, if it were not protected by snow- 
sheds and cleared, where there are no sheds, by snow-plows. This 
subarctic climate gives character to the vegetation. No oak, no 
maple, no buckeye, no laurel greets the eye. The fir, the pine and 
a few other conifers that delight in the snow, are the only trees. 
But the train descends at the rate of 1,200 vertical feet in an hour, 
and as there is a rapid succession of varied, interesting scenes, the 
hours seem to be very short. The vegetation changes rapidly, the 
soil assumes richer tints and becomes more abundant; wild flowers 
and oak trees make their appearance; orchards with apple, pear and 
peach trees are seen near the road; then comes the vine, the almo'^.d, 
the orange, the eucalyptus, and a multitude of flowers that thrive 
only in places where snow is rare, and frost never severe. It is this 
change from the desert to a region blooming with flowers in all seasons; 
this descent from the snow of the high Sierra to the eternal spring of 
a sunny valley, that gives delight to the traveler, when he crosses 
the continent on the Union and Central Pacific route. None of the 
rival transcontinental routes now under construction, can equal this 
one in the mountain scenery near the westei^n end of the road, or in 
the swift succession of changes from the climate of eternal winter to 
that of eternal summer. Charles NordhofF says : " A grander or 
more exhilarating ride than that from the Summit to Colfax, you 
cannot find in the world. The scenery is various, novel, magnifi- 
cent. * * * The entrance to California is as wonderful and charm- 
ing as though it were the gate to a veritable fairyland. All its 
sights are peculiar and striking; as you pass down from Summit, 
the very color of the soil seems different from and richer than that 
you are accustomed to at home; the farm-houses with their broad 
piazzas speak of a summer climate; the flowers, brilliant at the 
roadside, are new to eastern eyes; and at every turn new surprises 
await you." 

Soon after leaving Strong's Canyon, 7 miles from Truckee, and 
6,317 feet above the sea, we enter a snow-shed, whicli is so dark 
that it looks almost like a tunnel. Immediately after leaving it we 
enter a genuine tunnel, and then shed and tunnel alternate, but 
mostly shed, for 28 miles. This magnificent scenery, however, is 
all hidden from the traveler who takes the first-class passenger 
train going in either direction. There is only one such train daily 



A'l KEW YORK TO SAN FRAKCISCO. 

each way, and all that portion l^etween Rocklin and Keno, includ- 
ing everything in the Sierra Nevada, will be hidden by darkness at 
all seasons of the year to the travelers on the regular passenger 
train, until the time-table shall be changed. The emigrant train, 
going westward, leaves Emigrant Gap at 5:45 A. M., so that in the 
summer the traveler taking it can see the finest of the mountain 
views. The emigrant train going eastward arrives at Shady Run 
at 7:35 P. M., allowing the traveler to see many of the grandest 
scenes on the western slope of the Sierras. The tourist, however', 
should not leave the express train without consulting the conductor, 
who will tell him whether there has been a change in the time-table, 
and whether he can certainly find an emigrant or freight train to 
accommodate him. 

The old emigrant wagon-road, passing below us at Emigrant Gap, 
235 miles from San Francisco, gives that station its name. Blue Can- 
yon Stationisa point where much lumber, sawn in the adjacent moun- 
tains.^s placed on the cars for shipment to points east and west. The 
snow does not remain during the winter below this point. At Shady 
Run we obtain an excellent view of the great American Canyon, on 
the south of the road, where most of the fine views are to be seen. 

Hydraulic Mining. — Dutch Flat, on the north side of the road, ' 
is the site of extensive hydraulic washings, the first place of the 
kind on the route. The elevation of the road here is 3,395 feet; 
the town is several hundred feet lower, and that is above the level 
of the Dead Blue River, which runs north and south across the tops 
of the ridges made by the streams of the present day crossing it at 
right angles. The channel of the dead river is a half mile wide or 
more, and filled up to a depth of 300 feet with auriferous grav^el, 
which has been traced and washed from Forest Hill, in Placer 
County, to Eureka, Sierra County, a distance of more than 50 
miles. This dead river was very rich in gold throughout its length, 
and where it has been washed away by the living rivers, these were 
rich too. The American, Yuba, Bear rivers and their tributaries 
were poor above and rich below the points where they crossed the 
great Dead Blue River, and Avashed along its gravel. A large 
hydraulic mine is one in which the water is thrown through a noz- 
zle not less than 7 inches in diameter, under a pressure at least 250 
vertical feet, against a bank of auriferous gravel 100 feet or more, 
high ; and this stream, carrying as much water as would be re- 
quired for domestic purposes by a city of 100,000 inhabitants, digs 
down and carries away more gravel than could 10,000 men with 
picxCS, shovels and wheelbarrows. If the gravel contains 10 cents 
of gold in a ton it can be washed with profit. 

Gold Run, two miles west of Dutch Flat, works the same channel, 
and about 15 j'ears ago was the most productive hydraulic mining 
camp in the State. The views after leaving Gold Run are some of 
the most interesting on the road. Soon after passing the next 
station, Cape Horn Mills, at which trains usually do not stop, we 



KEW YOKK TO SAN FRtVX CISCO. 43 

come to Cape Horn, where the road mns along a narrow track cut 
into a bluff, '2,000 feet high, and for 1,000 feet nearly vertical. Col- 
fax, 2,422 feet al)Ove the sea, is the terminus of a narrovv-guage 
railroad to Nevada City and Grass Valley; the latter being tlie 
leading gold quartz mining town in California. From an area six 
miles square, of Mhich the town is the centre, the miners have ob- 
tained 880,000,000 in gold. At Colfax we reach the "foothills," 
the region in which orchards and vineyards appear, and at Auburn, 
1,360 feet above the sea, they are numerous. Newcastle, with an 
elevation of 956 feet, and 182 miles from Sacramento, is in a district 
where oranges are cultivated for profit, and they ripen here in De- 
cember, about six weeks earlier than at Los Angeles. 

Roseville, called Junction on the railroad time-table, 169 feet above 
the sea, and 18 miles from Sacramento, is a terminus of the Oregon 
branch of the Central Pacific Railroad, which extends 152 miles 
northward to Redding, at the head of the Sacramento Valley. 

Sacramento lo San Francisco.— Sacramento, the State Capital, 
on the left or eastern bank of the Sacramento River, and just below 
the mouth of the American River, has a population of 20,000, an 
active business, and is the chief railroad centre in the interior of the 
State. Here we cross the Sacramento River, and after passing 
through Davisville, on the bank of Putah Creek, the centre of an 
extensive horticultural district, we reach Suisun, where we come 
into the swamp land, covered with tule, a reed abundant in the 
shallow waters of California. To the south of us is Suisun Bay and 
beyond it Mount Diablo. At Benicia, 33 miles from San Francisco, 
and the site of a National arsenal, barracks, store-houses, etc.. Me 
reach the Strait of Carquinez, or Silver Gate, half a mile wide at 
the narrowest, separating the Bays of Suisun and San Pablo, and 
accessible for ships drawing 23 feet. To the southeastward from 
the shore of this strait we see the town of Martinez. An immense 
ferryboat, the largest ever built, 424 feet long and 116 wide, the 
Solano, is ready to take the entire train on board, and it carries us 
across to Port Costa, where the locomotive pulls us ashore. On the 
Solano^s main deck 4 tracks are laid, measuring more than a quar- 
ter of a mile in the aggregate, and a train of 48 freight cars or 24 
passenger coaches can be ferried across at a trip. At Port Costa, as 
at Benicia, there are wharves and warehouses from which numer- 
ous ships are loaded with wheat for Europe every year. Three 
miles from Port Costa we arrive at Vallejo Junction, a wharf for 
the accommodation of the ferry-boat running to Vallejo, which may 
be seen to the northward distant about 4 miles. 

We now follow the shore of San Pablo Bay to the south-westward, 
then strike across the point separating that bay from the northern 
arm of San Francisco Bay, which soon comes into sight on the west, 
and beyond it is Mount Tamalpais, which will be spoken of again. 

\Ve skirt along the western borders of the City of Oakland, run 
out a mile and a half into the Bay of San Francisco, on a mole 



44 NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

built of stone, reach a large, commodious and elegant station, and 
thence pass to the ferry-boat, which deserves attention for its large 
size, its nice furniture and its cleanly condition. From the open 
galleries of this boat we see San Francisco, on its hills, four miles 
distant, Goat, Alcatraz and Angel islands on our right, the Marin 
peninsula beyond them, the Golden Gate to the left of Alcatraz, 
the peninsula of San Francisco south of the city, and the southern 
arm of San Francisco Bay to the south of us. Behind Oakland is 
the Contra Costa Ridge of mountains. In 20 minutes the ferryboat 
runs from wharf to wharf, and we are at the end of the journey, for 
the purposes of this chapter. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE CLIMATES. 



Comparatiye Meteorology.— One of the most potent aids to 

individual comfort and national progress, is an equable and genial 
climate. Within historical times no nation has risen to greatness, 
no man to eminence in literature or industrial art, in a torrid or 
frigid region. The leadership of progress, the custody of the high- 
est culture, predominance in jiolitical and military power belong 
to the temperate zone. Tropical heat and arctic cold depress the 
mental and physical energies, diminish ambitions, reduce the field 
of activity, and cut off many sources of enjoyment. To a less 
extent these unfavorable influences are exercised also by meteorolog- 
ical extremes, within the temperate zone. C. L. Brace, who has 
traveled extensively in different parts of the world, and whose 
attention has been called to tliis subject by his stay in California, 
wrote that "of all human conditions next to civilization and its advan- 
tages, the most important is climate ; perhaps, for personal happi- 
ness, it is more than all other material circumstances. " Yet our 
geographies, cyclopedias, and books of travel generally, give no 
adequate idea of the climatic advantages and disadvantages of the 
main meteorological divisions, and of the differences of temperature, 
rainfall and humidity between New York, London, San Francisco 
and Los Angeles. The thermometrical means of January in those 
4 cities are respectively : 31°, 37°, 49°, and 52°; and of July, 75^ 
62°, 60°, and 75°. These figures indicate vast differences, in the suit- 
ability of temperature, to the healthy development of our bodies, 
and the active use of our mental and physical powers. As su- 
periority of climate is to a nation one of the most valuable of all 
possessions, so an understanding of climatic differences is to an in- 
dividual one of the most desirable of all kinds of knowledge. The 
clearness of the sky and the height of the mercury determine 
whether the weather is to be pleasant or unpleasant, and often 
whether the day shall pass agreeably or disagreeably. Our coast, 
as a whole, and especially the Californian part of it, has much to 
gain, and nothing to lose, by the diffusion of knowledge about conir 
parative meteorology. 



46 THE CLIMATES. 

Standards of Temperature. — Annual thermometrical means 
have very little value, in conveying correct ideas of temperature. 
According to the National Signal Service Report, the annual mean 
for 1877-78 was 54" for New York, and 57'' for San Francisco, but 
January was 21° warmer, and July 14° cooler in the latter, than in 
the former city. The difference between the means of the months 
was 42" at Hell Gate, and 7° at the Golden Gate; and between the 
respective extremes 81° and 37°. These figures show that the annual 
means have very little value, except to conceal the disadvantage of 
climates, which run from extreme cold in midwinter to extreme 
heat in midsummer. A similar objection can be made, with good 
reason, to the means showing the average temperature of the four 
seasons; they serve to hide the pivotal figures which are the ther- 
mometrical means of January and July, and these are in most places 
the coldest and hottest months, or the extremes connected by grad- 
ual changes, so that he who knows those two, knows the whole 
year. The mean of July in any one place varies very little from 
year to year, and so of January; but it is better to have the mean 
of many years, so as to avoid mistake from the exceptional charac- 
ter of any one season. Such means are the pivotal figures and best 
standards of temperature. 

Meteorological Regions. — In its meteorology, as in its botany, 
that part of our slope which lies west of the Sierra Nevada liange — 
including its continuation far into Alaska — bears much more resem- 
blance to Western Europe than to the Atlantic side of our continent 
in the same latitudes. Alaska is the counterpart of Norway in 
climate. British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, in general 
character are like England and Scotland; and California is like 
Spain or Italy. France, as a whole, has no equivalent on our coast, 
Nevada and Utah must seek for their parallels in Turkistan and the 
high lands of Persia. Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Washington are 
much like New York in temperature, though they have less rain- 
fall. We liave no complete meteorological statistics for the two 
slopes of Mexico, and therefore cannot compare them in that 
respect, but it is well known that the Pacific shores of our continent 
are free from yellow and black fevers, frequent and swiftly fatal 
at many points near the Gulf of Mexico. 

Our slope has a number of distinct meteorological regions, the 
principal of which are those of Alaska, Western Oregon, San Fran- 
cisco, Sacramento, Utah, Los Angeles, Arizona and Western Mexico. 
These regions will be considered separately, beginning with that of 
San Francisco, including the country west of the main ridge of the 
Coast Mountains, from the 35th to the 40th parallel, with a length 
of 350 and a width of 30 miles; the metropolis occupying a position 
on its western edge, nearly midway between the northern and 
southern borders. This region, within 10 miles of the ocean, has 
the most equably cool climate on the globe, and makes the nearest 
approach to the temperature in which active physical labor can be 



THE CLIMATES. 47 

performed with the least discomfort at all seasons of the year. 
Nowhere else is the sky so favorable to the toiler. 

San Francisco Summers. — The thermometrical mean of July, 
G0°, 5^ or 10' below the degree of warmth that is comfortable to the 
idler, demands heavy woolen clothing and active movement from 
those who spend much time in the open air. It is the best of all 
temperatures for the man engaged in productive industy, spurring 
him to continuous exertion. It is a tonic, tliat becomes part of his 
system ; a perpetual stimulant, that has no intervals of depression. 
All book-writing travelers, who have visited San Francisco and 
commented ably on the climate, have spoken in its yjraise. C. L. 
Brace said : "Here, it seems to me, you have it as near perfection 
as man can attain without enervation." In another place he tells 
his readers that "the climate is the great charm of the city. It is 
tl)e most exhilarating atmosphere in the world. In it a man can do 
more work than anywhere else, ajid under it he feels under a con- 
stant pressure of excitement." Fitzhugh Ludlow speaks of the 
"divine days " and " heavenly climate " of the Golden Gate. Sam- 
uel Bowles says : " The evenness of the climate, * * * a^j^j 
the indescribable inspiration of the air, are the great features of 
life." Sir Charles Dilke remarks, that " the peculiarity of climate 
carries with it great advantages. It is never too hot, never too 
cold, to work — a fact which, of itself, secures a grand future for 
San Francisco. The effect upon national type is marked. At a 
San Francisco ball you see English faces, not American." B. F. 
Taylor sings of the city — 

" Where Winter keeps watcli and ward, 
With Summer asleep at its feet ; 
Stands guard with a silver sword, 
Where tbe Junes and Decembers meet." 

In July San Francisco is cooler than London by 2", than Olympia 
by 3°, than Portland by 7°, than San Diego by 9", than Paris by 10^ 
and than Genoa, Naples, Jerusalem, Cincinnati or New York by 17°. 
This peculiar coolness, unexampled at the level of the sea, in the 
same latitude, is attributable mauily to the prevalence of the trade 
wind, blowing nearly every day from April to October over the 
Kurosiwo, which, after sweeping roimd under the islands of Alaska, 
reaches our shores with a temperature never varying, near the Gol- 
den Gate, more than 3° from 55.° This vast ocean stream, bringing 
subfrigid waters into a subtropical latitude, is a great factor in the 
life of California, influencing its pleasures and its business in many 
ways. The Atlantic in the 40th parallel is w^arm enough on both 
sides in summer for pleasant bathing, but not so the Pacific near its 
eastern shore in the same latitude. San Francisco, within her city 
limits, has a magnificent beach, but the air and water there, on the 
average July day, are more than cool — they are chilling. 

The intense heat in tlie interior of the continent is the main 
cause of the trade wind, prevailing along the coast, in the warm 



48 THE CLIMAfES. 

season. Throughout a region 1,000 miles long by 500 wide, the dry 
soil, under a burning sun, causes a vast extent of rarefied atmos- 
phere into which the breezes rush from the west and north-west. 
If the plains and mountains of central California, Nevada, Utah, 
Arizona and northern Mexico were covered with forests, the rain- 
fall would be greater, the sun would not strike the earth in the 
same manner, ev^aporation would keep down the temperature, the 
quantities of air warmed to a high degree would be much smaller, 
and the breezes from the ocean much weaker. We have no mete- 
orological statistics to prove the direction or strength of the main 
air currents, that supply the region east of the Sierra Nevada ; but 
we know, from the heat of the soil there in the summer days, that 
a large supply of air must be needed to replace that which rises. 
There is a better opportunity and there are more stations to observe 
the currents blowing into the great interior valley, or Sacramento- 
San Joaquin basin of California. Every average summer day these 
currents pass eastward from the Pacific, over the Coast Range, 
sometimes carrying flecks of cloud or fog 20 or 30 miles inland, to 
mark their track. The current is especially strong at the Golden 
and Silver gates, where it finds the only opportunity to travel near 
the level of the sea, and its influence is clearly discernible along its 
route, as we shall have occasion to remark in other paragraphs. 

Hot Days. — The highest temperature recorded by the signal ser- 
vice in San Francisco for July, 1877, was 76°, not high enough 
to be uncomfortably warm. The average of the maximum observa- 
tions for each day in the month was 66''; while the similar average 
for New York City was 83°. In 25 out of the 31 days, the mercury 
on Manhattan Island rose to 80°, at which figure oppressive heat 
begins. An examination of the meteorological tables, kept in San 
Francisco by Thomas Tennent for 32 years ending October 1, 1881, 
shows that the thermometer reached 80° on 209 days in that period, 
or less than 7 days in a year, on the average; in some years not 
once. In 1855, an exceptional season, there were 20 hot days. In 
1861, 1862, 1863, 1873 and 1881, there was not one. 

Not only are the hot days few, but they are scattered. It is a 
very rare occurrence for more than 3 to come together; but as the 
San Franciscans, accustomed to their chill climate, dress in heavy 
woolen suits through the summer, a day which they call hot would 
not receive such a title in Sacramento or New York. Summer heat 
at the Golden Gate, is always associated with an arrest of the trade 
wind; so long as that blows briskly, with its temperature of 55° or 
60° at the beach, the thermometer can not raise to 75° in the city. 
Let it stop, however, for 6 hours in daylight and the sun's rays will 
soon become oppressive. The trade wind blowing from the west 
supplies cool air to the heated surface of the Sacramento basin. 
However, there are occasions when, for a few days, a strong wind 
blows from the north through that basin. At such times the trade 
wind has little to do at the Golden Gate, and a period of heat fol- 



ttlE CLlMAtES. 49 

lows. Whenever a strong north wind prevails in the Sacramento 
Valley, for several days, then a lull in the trade wind and a \\ ai n. 
day niay be expected. In the climate of San Francisco the phrase 
"dog-days " is not applicable to an}' portion of the summer, as in 
the cities on the Atlantic slope. One result of the cool temperature 
and constant trade wind at San Francisco is, that a person with weak 
lungs can not drive out comfortaV)ly, in an open carriage, to the 
ocean beach in July, unless the day is exceptionally still and warn). 

It is a singular feature of the shore climate of the San Francisco 
region, that July is not the hottest month, nor is August, but Sept- 
ember. Thus, according to the signal service records, the mean of 
July in 1877 was 59°, and of September 61°. The means of a num- 
ber of years give 58" to July, August and October, and 59° to Sept- 
ember. In St. Louis, of July, August and September, the re- 
spective means are 78°, 70° and 70°, and in New York City, 74°, 74' 
and 66°. The greater heat of September, as compared with July, 
in San Francisco, is presumably caused by tlie cooling of the Sac- 
ramento basin, so that there is not such a draft of cold air pouring 
through the Golden Gate in the autunm as in the summer. At Sacra- 
mento City the temperature of September is 7° less than that of July; 
at Red Bluflf, 6° less, and at Visalia, 9° less. These figures indicate a 
considerable decrease in the demand of the gi-eat interior valley for 
cooling breezes. As the mean temperature of July is less than that 
of September, so is the average number of hot days. Thus, in the 
32 years ending October 1, 1881, June had 36 hot days (of 80°); 
July, 17 ; August, 19 ; September, 57, and October, 41. September 
had three times, and June and October each twice as many as July. 

Cool Nights. — The nights are always cool at the Golden Gate. 
On rare occasions, the early part of the night has been warm, but 
the latter part, never. The lowest observation taken in July, 1877, 
was 53°. The mean of the minimums was 55°. All the signal ser- 
vice figures are, however, a little higher than those taken by unofficial 
observations. The mean temperature of the July sunrise in San 
Francisco is, according to Dr. Henry Gibbons, 52° — cool enough to 
make a fire desirable. 

Warm Winters. — The Kurosiwo, which moderates the summer's 
heat, also tempers the winter's cold, on our coast, carrying such a 
mass of water, and spending so much time in its grand circuit, that 
the change of the seasons has little perceptible effect on its tempera- 
ture, when it reaches California. It is almost as warm in January 
as in July, and almost as cold in the latter as in the former month. 
Not so swift in its current nor so narrow along the Asiatic coast as 
is the gulf stream near Florida, it has greater width, probably 
greater depth, and a longer course. Off San Francisco, it seems to 
be 500 miles wide, and is perhaps a mile deep. The temperature of 
the water at the Golden Gate is in July about 53°, 7° less than that 
of the air; 200 miles out it is 58°, 10° less than that of the air; and 
600 miles out it is 07", 3° less than that of the air. This change in 



50 THE CLIMATES. 

the temperature of the water, in the same latitude, can not be ex- 
plained satisfactorily upon any theory, save that the ocean current 
has a width of 500 miles or more. The normal mean temperature 
of July, in the 38th parallel of latitude, is about 75° on land and 70° 
in the water. 

The mean temperature of January in San Francisco is in average 
years about 49°. According to the United States signal service 
records, the mean of the month in 1878 was 53° and the lowest ob- 
servation, 39°. The mean for the same month at 2 P. M., was 57°, 
and at sunrise, 49°. According to the self-registering thermometer of 
Thomas Tennent, in the 32 years ending October 1, 1881, the mer- 
cury fell to the freezing point on 155 nights, or not 5 nights in a 
year, on the average. The greatest number in a year was 21, in 
1862; but there was not one in 1852, 1853, 1860, 1866, 1871 or 1877. 
Of these 155 freezing nights, December had 58; January, 50; Feb- 
ruary, 19; November, 16; March, 7; April, 4 and May, 1. The mer- 
cury has not been so low as 32' between sunrise and sunset on more 
than 10 days in 32 years. 

Snow is sometimes seen to fall in San Francisco, but almost inva- 
riably melts within 5 seconds after touching the ground, which has 
never been white with it, or at least not within 25 years. On sev- 
eral occasions the streets have been white or whitish with sleet or 
fine hail. Ice has formed to the thickness of an inch, but usually 
disappears before noon. The coldest temperature ever observed in 
San Francisco was 25 ^ or 7° below the freezing point. Although in 
the average winter there are not more than five nights in which the 
thermometer, as usually placed, 4 feet from the ground, records a 
figure so low as 32°, yet there are probably 20 mornings in which a 
white frost may be seen on the ground, especially in places where it 
is covered by grass, straw, or woody fiber. The frosts, however, 
are never severe, and delicate subtropical ornamental plants, includ- 
ing the heliotrope, fuchsia, floripondio, geranium, and French roses, 
live and often bloom through the winter in the open air. 

Associated with the small range of temperature between the 
means of January and July, and between the means of the maxi- 
mums and minimums of either month, is also a small range in the 
temperature of the days considered separately. Thus the greatest 
difference between the maximum and minimum of any one day was 
20° in July and 17° in January, whereas in New York, the diJGFerence 
was 22° in July and 28° in January ; in St. Louis it was 26° in July 
and 22° in January. It must be remembered that these oscillations 
in San Francisco are on both sides of the temperature of comfort, 
while in New York and St. Louis they belong, for July, to the do- 
main of oppressive heat, and for January to that of intense cold. 

The remarks about the climate of San Francisco apply, with 
slight modification, to Santa Cruz, Monterey, and all places on or 
very near the ocean beach, between the 35th and 40th parallels. 
San Francisco is a little cooler in summer than other points, because 



THE CLIMATES. 51 

of the draft of cool air from the ocean passing through the Golden 
and Silver Gates to the Sacramento Valley. Santa Cruz is a little 
warmer than ^lonterey in summer, because it is protected by a hill 
from the trade wind. There is less frost on the beach than there is 
a mile away; less within a mile than 4 miles away. The heat of 
summer and the cold of winter increase, as we leave the ocean, and 
as we get beyond into the shelter of any range of hills, that breaks 
the force of the ocean breezes. Thus Vallejo, at the Silver Gate, 
only 25 miles from San Francisco, has a July 8" warmer, and a Janu- 
ary 1° colder; St. Helena, about as far fi'om the ocean as Vallejo, but 
shut in by a mountain ridge 2,000 feet high, is 19° warmer in July 
and 7° colder in January. The valley towns in the San Francisco 
region, though much warmer in the summer than the metropo- 
lis, can not grow the same tender plants in their gardens. As a 
general rule, it may be said, January is about 2° colder, and July 10" 
warmer 30 miles from the ocean than on the beach. Among the 
valley towns in the San Francisco region are San Jose, Santa Clai'a, 
Gilroy, Watsonville, Salinas, Soledad, Hollister, Haywards, SAn 
Rafael, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Ukiah, Calistoga, St. 
Helena, Napa, Sonoma, Clayton, Livermore and Pleasanton, and the 
summer and winter temperatures of each are much influenced by 
the amount of sea breeze reaching them. 

The Early Spring. — The pleasantest season of the average year 
in California is the early spring, a period of about 6 weeks, com- 
mencing sometimes in the middle of February, when the heaviest 
rains and the cold of winter have passed; when the summer heats 
have not commenced in the interior, nor the winds and fogs on the 
coast; when the breezes are balmy and the temperature genial; when 
the sky is free from clouds, and the atmosphere from haze, when 
the hills and valleys are gorgeous in varied tints of green, the wild 
flowers abundant, and the colors and shapes of the far distant moun- 
tains distinctly dii;cernible. In this region, all seasons of the year 
are pleasant, but this is pre-eminently beautiful. In June, if not in 
May, the surface of the soil becomes drj% the landscape turns brown, 
the flowers die, the roads and the lower strata of the air become 
dusty, and the mountains dim. Beautiful as is the Indian summer 
on the Atlantic slope, it is far inferior in brilliancy and attractive- 
ness to the early spring of California, and especially of Southern 
California, where, in addition to the charms of the season in other 
portions of the State, we then see the orange orchards loaded with 
the ripe fruit of one crop, and with the fragrant blossoms of the 
next one, at the base of grand mountains, and within 10 or 20 miles 
of their snow-crowned summits. 

San Francisco Rains. — The average amount of rain in San 
Francisco is 2.S inches in a year, about half as much as falls at New 
York or London. The Californian rainfall, however, is confined to 
the winter half of the year, and is called the rainy season, although 
there are not more rainy days, nor is there more rainfall, than dur- 



52 THE CLIMATES. 

ing the same months in New York. We speak of the rainy season, 
not because we then have continuous rain, but because it is the only 
period when we have rain. The average rainfall, in the 6 months 
from May to October, inclusive, is an inch and a half ; in the other 
6 months it is 2H inches. In the 4 months from June to September, 
inclusive, the average is less than a third of an inch, and less than 
a twentieth of an inch for each of the months of June, July and 
August. Though the amount of the rainfall varies greatly in dif- 
ferent parts of the State, there is much resemblance in the relative 
proportions of the different seasons, everywhere save in the Colo- 
rado basin, which belongs to the Arizona meteorological region, 
having its rain in the summer, while the winter is usually dry. 

The scarcity of summer rain in California and Nevada, is doubtless 
due mainly to two causes : First, the California trade winds are so 
cold that they will not take up much moisture from the ocean ; that 
is, they take up much less than hot winds would ; and, second, so 
soon as they reach the land, they encounter a much higher tempera- 
ture, so that their moisture, instead of being condensed, is absorbed 
by hot currents, which rise and pass in a clear sky to the eastward 
and northward, until in Oregon, Idaho, or Montana, they encounter 
currents cool enough to cause precipitation. Prof. John Le Conte 
says : "This remarkable feature of the climate of this coast is 
clearly due to the excess of temperature of the adjacent land, dur- 
ing the summer, above that of the cool ocean on the west. This 
condition of things, while it arguments the force of the west winds, 
renders the precipitation of the aqueous vapors of small tension, 
which they sweep from the cool ocean to the hot interior, a physical 
impossibility, since they are being carried to a region of higher tem- 
perature. Further north, along the coasts of Oregon, Washington 
Territory and Alaska, the presence of a comparatively warm ocean 
renders the conditions more favorable for summer rains." 

No huiTicane has ever visited California, or the ocean near its 
shore, and thunder storms are very rare, year after year passing in 
the valleys without one brilliant flash of lightning. The deaths by 
lightning in the State have been 2 in 30 years, whereas, in England, 
25, and in the American States east of the Eocky Mountains) 145 
are killed by it annualh\ In a region where there are no hurri- 
canes, where summer rains arc almost unknown, and where the 
winter rains are announced usually 24 hours in advance by a change 
in the direction of the wind (it blows from the north, north-west, or 
west for clear weather, and from south-west, south, or south-east 
for rain), there is comparatively little iise for the barometer. 

There is moi-e irregularity in rainfall than in temperature. The 
mean of the thermometer for any one month is about the same in 
one year as in another, a. variation of 5 per cent, being rare ; and 
year after year will pass without a difference of 2 per cent. ; whereas, 
a variation of 50 per cent, in the rain-gauge is not unfrequent. If we 
count years of floodj as those witli more than 30 inches of rain, we 



THE CLIMATES. 53 

have had 7 in the 32 years from 1849 to 1881 ; and estimating 17 
inches or less as a drought, we have had 6 in the same period, mak- 
ing 13 years of extremes out of the 32, or more than one in 3. It is 
estimated that 12 inclies of water is sufficient, with skillful man- 
agement, to secure a good crop of wheat, but the rain often comes 
at such times, that a large part of it is lost to the farmer ; and the 
fall is less m the wheat-growing valleys than in San Francisco. 

As a general rule, the rainfall in California is 2 inches greater for 
each degree of latitude, as we go northward from the southern 
boiindary of the State. It is greater near the ocean shore than in- 
land; greater in the mountains than in the valleys; and greater on 
the western, than on the eastern slopes of the mountains. A com- 
parison, for example, of the rainfall at San Francisco with that at 
Xiles, 15 miles to the eastward, and at Livermore, 10 miles east of 
Niles, will show the decrease in proportion to distance from the 
ocean. According to the figures recorded at the stations of the 
Central Pacific Eailroad Company, the amounts at the 3 places were 
in 1871-72, 28, 23 and 19 inches respectively; in 1872-73, 16, 14 and 
11; in 1873-74, 23, 14 and 12; in 1874-75, 18, 12 and 12; in 1875-76, 
26, 26 and 20; in 1876-77, 9, 9 and 6; in 1877-78, 32, 25 and 17; in 
1878-79, 23, 15 and 10; and in 1879-80, 25, 18 and 16. The average 
at San Francisco, is 69, and at Niles 38, per cent, more than at 
Livermore. All studies so far undertaken to discover a regular 
periodicity in the variations of the Californian rainfall, or an in- 
crease and decrease, concurrent with the piogress of the sunspots or 
with some astronomical cycle, have been unsuccessful. 

There are 66 days with rain in a year at San Francisco, including 
12 in December; 10 in January; 9 in February; 9 in March; 7 in 
November; 5 in April and 2 in October. In London there ai'e 140 
such days in a year; in New York there are 90. Many portions of 
the San Francisco region, beyond the range of tlie ocean fogs, have 
220 clear days, vinthout a cloud to obscure the sunlight. New York 
has not half, and London not a third so many. 

Fog. — The shore of San Francisco's meteorological region is 
visited by frequent sea fogs, and they are especially abundant at 
the Golden Gate, as there they have a chance to travel inland at the 
level of the sea. Uusually they do not rise to a height of more 
than 1,500 or 2,000 feet, and the summits of the Coast Mountains 
may be in clear sunlight while the valleys below are hid in the fog. 
In the City of San Francisco the summer nights are usually foggy, 
and a warm clear moonlight evening is a rarity ; but after sunrise 
the land radiates out so much heat, that before the middle of the fore- 
noon the fog is absorbed . The wind continues to blow with a velocity 
of about ten miles an hour, but the immense bank of fog over the 
ocean seems to be stationary, being converted into invisible moisture 
so soon as it gets to the land. At night, however, when the heat 
decreases, the fog can advance 10 or 20 miles inland, and may main- 
tain its position until midnight, then vanish, to appear again in the 



54 TRE CLIMATES. 

morning. This fog is especially abundant in the summer, and is one 
of the main features of the climate of San Francisco, contributing to 
make the evenings cold and dark. 

Relative Humidity. — These summer fogs give a dampness to the 
atmosphere, along the shore of the San Francisco region. The 
amount of moisture in the air is measured by placing 2 thermometers 
side by side, one of them having its bulb covered with a wet cloth. 
When the air is saturated with moisture, there is no evaporation 
from the wet cloth, and the 2 thermometers register the same tem- 
perature. When, on the other hand, the air is very dry, the evapo- 
ration is rapid, and as evaporation causes cold, the wet bulb ther- 
mometer marks a lower temperature than the other. The difference 
between the two figures furnishes a basis for calculating the relative 
humidity; that is, the amount of moisture, in proportion to the 
capacity of the air at that temperature, to carry moisture, visible or 
invisible. The best method of stating the relative humidity is to 
divide the year into two semesters, or periods of 6 months; the 
warm semester from May to October inclusive, and the cold semes- 
ter from November to April inclusive. This relative humidity is a 
matter of little moment to a healthy person in a temperature of 
pleasant warmth, but, even in such a temperature, it is important 
to the invalid suffering with pulmonary disease, and when the 
weather is either hot or cold, may have a great influence on the 
comfort of the most robust. The preponderance of recent medical 
authority has condemned the custom of sending consumptives to 
moist tropical places, like Havana, St. Augustine, Bahia, and Hono- 
lulu, and now recommends in preference, mountain health resorts 
in the temperate zone, with an elevation not less than 1,500, nor 
more than 3,000 feet above the sea, with a mean temperature not 
lower than 40° in January, nor warmer than 75" degrees in July, 
and a relative humidity not exceeding 60 in the warm, nor 70 in 
the cold semester. vSuch places, however, are rare. An examina- 
tion of all the accessible meteorological statistics, justifies the asser- 
tion that nowhere on the globe is there a better combination of low 
hiimidity with pleasant warmth, and desirable elevation above the 
sea, than can be found at various places in the Coast Mountains of 
California. New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona have lower relative 
humidity, over considerable districts at least, but their summers are 
too hot, or their winters too cold. The following table includes the 
statistics of the best climates in the United States, Europe and 
Africa, for persons suffering with diseases of the respiratory organs; 
and also of various American cities which represent the meteoro- 
logical ccmditions of populous districts. The figures have been 
obtained l)y extensive researcli, not only through books, but also 
by correspondence with the meteorological bureaus of various gov- 
ernments, and the table, as a whole, is the most comprehensive of 
its kind ever published ; — 



THK CLIMATES. 



55 



PLACES. 



Atlas Peak, Cal 

Blake's, Cal 

Santa Fe, New Mexico . . . . 

Pignerol, Italy 

Caltanisctta, Italy 

Beziers, France 

I'otenza, Italy 

Murcia, Spain 

Foggia, Italy 

Denver, Colorado 

Kimberly, South Africa. . . 

Umatilla, Oregon 

St. Paul, Minnesota 

Jacksonville, Florida 

Ashville, North Carolina.. 

Visalia, Cal 

Los Angeles, Cal 

Santa Barbara, Cal 

San Diego, Cal 

San Francisco, Cal 

San Rafael, Cal 

Red Blulf, Cal 

Sacramento, Cal 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

Villaviciosa, Spain 

Madrid, Spain 

Balboa, Spain 

Coimbra, Portugal 

Pioche, Nov 

Camp Apache, A. T 

Boise City, Idaho 

Camp Verde, A. T 

Llandudno, England 

Virginia City, Montana . . . 

Boston, Mass 

New York City 

Chicago, 111 

New Orleans, La 

Portland, Oregon 

Olynipia, W. T 



Relative 
Humidity. 






39 
44 
35 

58 
48 
C'2 
53 
57 
53 
41 
69 
44 
66 
70 
79 
42 
66 
71 
75 
74 
65 
70 
68 
31 
51 
61 
83 
76 
26 
57 
44 
38 
79 
49 
69 
66 
69 
69 
66 
1o. 



Mean 
Temp're, 



1500ft. 

2100 

6851 

950 
1871 

300 
2756 

141 

286 
5269 
4400 

460 

795 
23 

348" 

318 

60 

65 

120 

60 

337 

75 

4362 

2247 

2148 

32 

462 

5778 

5000 

2877 

3500 



5479 
140 
60 
650 
56 
97 
30 



38^25' 

38 35 
35 41 

44 50 
37 27 

42 38 

40 39 
37 59 

41 27 

39 45 
28 55 

45 55 
44 53 
30 24 

35 35 

36 20 
34 3 
34 25 

32 44 

37 47 

37 58 

40 10 

38 35 

41 10 
40 21 
40 24 

43 15 
40 14 
37 57 

33 47 
43 40 

34 23 



45 20 
42 21 

40 42 

41 52 
29 58 
45 30 
47 2 



^^ THE CLIMATES. 

This table includes only a few of the stations from which statistics 
of relative humidity and temperature are obtainable, the large ma- 
jority being excluded, because their climatic conditions are not 
favorable for consumptive invalids. For this reason, all the stations 
in Germany, Russia, New Zealand, New South Wales and Canada, 
and most of those on the Atlantic slope of the United States, are 
omitted. Of all the stations in France, Beziers has the driest cli- 
mate; of all in Italy, Caltanisetta; of all in the Spanish peninsula, 
Murcia; of all in South Africa, Kimberly; of all in Colorado, Den- 
ver; of all in Minnesota, St. Paul; and of all in Florida, Jackson- 
ville. The table was drawn up for the purpose of enabling students 
to make a fair comparison of the climatic advantages of the best 
liealth resorts for consumptives, so far as obtainable meteorological 
statistics supply the material. The figures here given show that 
Atlas Peak and Blake's in the Coast Mountains of California, re- 
spectively, 20 and 30 miles north of Silver Gate, are uuequaled in 
their combination of dry atmosphere, with a mild temperature in 
winter and summer, and a desirable elevation. No observations for 
relative humidity have been kept at any other part in the Coast 
Mountains, but tiiere are, doubtless, many places in that range, 
south of the Silver Gate, with conditions equally favorable, as will 
probably appear within a few years. The relative humidity in winter 
is 62 at Cannes, 68 at Mentone, 71 at Nice and 80 at Pan, and those 
are the only figures within reach for those to^^Tis, considered among 
the best winter resorts for consumptives in Eurojie. In their com- 
bination of dry atmosphere with elevation, they are far inferior to 
various Californian stations in the winter; and physicians agree that 
most, if not all, are decidedly objectionable in the summer. Visalia, 
Camp Apache and Camp Verde are dry, but too hot in the summer; 
Salt Lake, Santa Fe, Denver, Pioche, Boise City and Virginia City, 
in Montana, are dry, but too cold in winter. 

In 1877, Dr. F. W. Hatch, permanent secretary of the Californian 
State Board of Health, addressed a circular letter to physicians, re- 
questing a report of their experience and opinions, as to the suita- 
bility of the various climates near them, to the needs of consump- 
tives. The result was a strong preponderance of testimony in favor 
of the eastern portion of the Coast ^lountains, at elevations ranging 
from 1,200 to 1,800 feet above the sea; and especially for that por- 
tion of the Coast Range north of the Silver Gate. In his oflScial 
report of that year, Dr. Hatch said : " The fact, however, has been 
abundantly verified, that for the large majority of consumptives — 
those in a condition to endure the inconvenience of camp life — this 
mountain region is better suited than are the Sierra Nevada Moun- 
tains." 

In 1879, the State Medical Society of California, at its annual 
meeting, unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the legisla- 
ture to establish" a State Hospital for consumptives. The legislature 
instructed the State Board of Health to make a report on the sub- 



THE CLIMATES. 57 

ject, and in 18S0, the Board, in its annual report, recommended that 
such an institution should be estabUshed, and selected Atlas Peak 
as the preferable place for it. They also stated that a good site for 
such an institution in Southern California could be found at the 
Sierra Mad re Villa. 

Warm Belt. — Although the Californiau lowland has a sub- 
tropical climate, it is not anywhere free from frost. The leadiug 
subtropical fruit trees, including the orange, lemon, fig, olive and 
date, when of mature age, can endure 12 degrees of frost — that is 12 
degrees below the freezing point — if occuning only occasionally and 
lasting but a few hours, without serious injury; and to such cold 
they are exposed, in mauy of the Cahfomian valleys, perhaps once 
in live years on an average. In the ordinary winter the mercury 
does not fall below 28" in San Francisco. The situations least 
troubled by frost are not the lowest lands, in the most southern part 
of the State as might be expected, from the fact that climate becomes 
wanner as we approach the equator, and that there is an average 
decrease of one degree of temperature for every 300 feet of eleva- 
tion. These rules apply in California as well as elsewhere, but there 
are certain other facts which must not be overlooked. 

Frosts are not rare at the level of the sea, near the tropics. The 
trade winds, blowing from the Pacific with a temperature of 55° 
over the coast of California, north of latitude 35'. during a large part 
of the year, render frost rare near the shore, but its chilly influence 
continuing through the summer is more damaging to fruit than an 
occasional frost. 

The parts of California l^est suited for fruit sensitive to frost are 
portions of the "warm ]>elt," a general term applied to portions of 
the hills, usually not less than 200 nor more than 2,000 feet alx>ve 
the level of adjacent valleys. It is impoi-tant that there should be 
an adjacent valley, into which the cold air can flow down at night; 
otherwise the benefits of the elex'ation are lost. Frosts are more 
severe in the lower situations, and especially on moist soil, tiian on 
the dr}' hillsides; and more severe in enclosed valleys, with peaks 
covered with snow in their vicinity, than in open plains, far from 
the snow. 

At the .Sieri-a Madre Villa, 1.700 feet above the sea, on the hill- 
side alx)ve the valley of the San Gabriel, there is much less frost 
than in the low land, 10 miles distant. The same relative exemp- 
tion is enjoyed by the upper Ojai, as compared with the lower Ojai 
Valley in Ventura County. In Santa Clara County the hillsides 
alx)ut Los Gatos are found to have far less frost than the bottoni 
lands near San Jose. At the Xapa Soda Springs, at Atlas Peak, at 
Howell Mountain, and at various other places, the East-Xapa 
IJidge has far less frost than has the fertile Napa Valley at its base. 
The plain of Santa Rosa, and the mountain side above it, show 
similar difierences. As a general rule, the warm belt enjoys a much 
greater relative exemption from frost in the autumn and early win- 



58 THE CLIMATES. 

ter than in the spring. In the hills, places which in ordinary 
seasons are exempt from fi-ost from September till November inclu- 
sive, will, in April and May, hav^e frosts almost as frequent and 
severe as those observed in the low lands. 

In a paper read before the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, 
B. B. Redding said: "The zone in the Sierra, known as the 'foot- 
hills,' is as warm for the year, and as warm for the coldest month, as 
the Sacramento Valley in the same latitudes. This warm belt cer- 
tainly extends to an elevation of 2,500 feet. Colfax, with an eleva- 
tion of 2,422 feet, has a mean for the year of 60°, and a mean for 
the coldest month of 45°, while, for the same periods, Sacramento 
has, for the year, 60°, and for the coldest month 46°. Fort Tejon, 
on the Tehachapi INIountains, elevation 3,245 feet, for the year is 
but 6° colder than Tulare, in the center of the valley 3,000 feet 
below; while the temperature for the winter months is nearly the 
same. " 

Dr. James Blake discussed the same subject, a few weeks later, 
in a paper read before the same academy, and produced meteoro- 
logical statistics to prove that the mininmm temperatures in winter 
are less on the hillsides than in the valleys. For instance, he showed 
that during the first 5 days of the previous December, (1878), the 
mercury stood, in Sacramento, at 50° at 9 P. m. ; and at 41" at 7 a. 
M. ; indicating a decline of 9°; whereas, at Colfax (2,421 feet) and 
Emigrant Gap (5,221 feet high) there was no variation. At the 
latter place the mercury stood at 52° at 9 P. M., and 7 A. M. Dur- 
ing those 5 days the air was quiet; but in the 5 days from the 11th 
to the 15th of the same month, while a strong wind was blowing, 
the temperature at the higher stations was considerably colder tlian 
at Sacramento, and it declined in the course of the night. Dr Blake 
found that January of 1878, a rainy and stormy month, had a mean 
of 49° at Sacramento, 45° at Colfax, and 34° at Emigrant Gap; while 
the following December, a calm, and clear month, had a mean of 45° 
at Sacramento, 47° at Colfax, and 41° at Emigrant Gap. Among 
other tilings he said : "The only explanation that can be offered of 
this anomalous distribution of temijerature is, that during a calm state 
of the atmosphere, the lower stratum of air that has been heated in 
the valleys during the day, gradually rises up en masse, its place 
being supplied by the cold air flowing down into the valleys, over 
the surface of the ground, that has been cooled by radiation during 
the long winter nights. This can only take place when there is a 
calm state of the atmosphere, and when radiation is not obstructed 
by clouds or fogs, conditions that prevailed to a great degree during 
December [1878J. Under these circumstances the heated body of 
air gradually ascends, and as our temperature curves show, can reach 
an elevation of at least 5,000 feet, and probably much higher. * * 
The fact is a most important one in its relation to the cultivation of 
semi-tropical fruits. The only time at which they are liable to be 
injured, at least up to an elevation of 3,000 feet, is during calm and 



THE CLIMATES. 59 

cold niglits, and on such iiicjhts, as lias been plainly shown, it is the 
more elevated places that are the warmer. During our stormy 
weather, even in midwinter, the temperature never falls low enough 
at the elevations above given to injure them. At my residence, 
[2, 100 feet above the sea, near Mt. St. Helena], most of the orange- 
trees that w^ere planted out only last season, are uninjured. Tliey 
certainly have suffered less than at Los Angeles, where a tempera- 
ture of 23° has been reported, while at my residence the thermometer 
has not been lower than 29 degrees." 

In a private letter, dated in 1S8I, Dr. Blake says: "I find on 
clear, calm nights that the thermometer at my place begins to rise 
about 3 A. M., and rises until 5 a. m., at which time it is 1" or 1.5° 
higher than at 9 p. m. From 5 a. m., to 7 A. M., there is generally 
a fall of about 2°, the minimum being reached at sunrise. During 
the early frost (November 15) last year, the thermometer at Calis- 
toga [elevation 300 feet] was 21°; at Sacramento, 18°; and at mj' 
place, 44°.'' 

Sacramonto Climate. — The Sacramento region includes the 
basins drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. On the 
west it is sheltered from the ocean breezes by the ridges of the Coast 
Range, which may average 3,000 or 3,500 feet in height. As com- 
pared with the San Francisco regions, these basins have less fog, in 
the w^inters more cold, in the summers more heat, and in the low 
lands less rain, less timber, and more clear days. A prominent 
feature of the sky of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, as 
well as of Southern California, is the paucity' of clouds. Week after 
week wull pass, in the summer, without a film of mi?t near the 
earth, or a speck of cloud in the heavens. California, as a whole, 
is pre-eminently a sunny land, offering a great contrast in this 
respect to England, and to the western divisions of Oregon, Wash- 
ington, and British Columbia. In London there are 2 hours of sun- 
shine in the average day from October to December inclusive, and 
not more than 5 hours on the average in the year; in Sacramento the 
corresponding figures are about 7 and 10. 

The temperature in the valley land is largely influenced, if not 
mainly controlled, by exposure to the breezes from the ocean. At 
the northern and southern ends it is bounded on the west by moun- 
tains 4,000 or 5,000 feet high; while near the middle, it is intersected 
by a considerable gap, and the mountains for 30 miles on each side 
are lower than they are to the north and the south. If we move 
northward from the Silver Gate, on the west side of the Saci*amento 
Valley, we find a mean for July of 72° at Fairfield: 78° at Wood- 
land; 81° at Williams; and 85° at Redding, an increase of 13° of 
temperature in 2° of latitude. If Ave move southward on the eastern 
side of the San Joaquin Valley we shall find a mean for July of 74° 
at Stockton; 79° at Merced; 8G° at Tulare: and OO'' at Delano, indi- 
cating a difference of 16° of temperature in 2° of latitude. Traveling 
eastward, on the line of the Central Pacific Railroad from the mid- 



60 THE CLIMATES. 

die of the valley, we have 74° in Sacramento; 75° at Aiaburn, with 
an elevation of 1,360 feet; 75° at Alta, 3,607 feet above the sea; 62° 
at Cisco, 5,934 feet above the sea; and 60° at Summit, 7,017 feet 
above the sea, as means for July. Thus we see that, as we go 
northward or southward from the center of the valley, we get into 
greater summer heat; as we ascend the Sierra Nevada, the tempera- 
ture of July remains the same, until we reach a point nearly 4,000 
feet above the sea, and above that elevation it falls about one 
degree for every 200 feet. The valley is very hot at midday for 
several months in the summer. The mean of the July maximums 
in Sacramento in 1877 was 92°. On 3 days the thermometer reached 
100° or more, the highest being 103°; on 7 other days the mercury 
went to various figures between 95° and 99°. In 22 out of 31 days 
in the month the heat was 90° or more. If we compare this with 
the same month in New York City, we find that it is 10^ hotter. The 
mean of the month was about the same, but the mean of the maxi- 
mums was 10° less on Manhattan Island. On only 2 days out of 31, 
did the mercury there reach 90°, and the highest figure was 93°, 

At Red Bluff, which represents all the northern part of the Sac- 
ramento Valley, and presumably the sides of the adjacent mountain, 
to an elevation of 3,000 feet, the mean of the maximums for July, 
1877, was 101°. The highest temperature of the month was 108°. 
The thermometer rose to 100° or more in 13 days of the month ; and 
in 14 other days to some figure between 90° and 99° — leaving only 
4 days with less than 90°. Visalia, representing the southern end 
of the San Joaquin Valley, had about the same intense heat in July. 
The mean July temperature of Red Blufl:', in latitude 40°, 10', is the 
same as that of New Orleans in 29°, 58', but in the latter city the 
mercury does not rise above 96°. 

Fortunately for the residents of the Sacramento-San Joaquin 
Valley, its intense heat at midday is counterbalanced by a rela- 
tively low temperature at night. Thus at Sacramento the mean of 
the July minimums is 58°, a figure implying that blankets must be 
used on the bed for comfort. New York, which has 10° less of heat 
at 2 P. M., has, on the other hand, 10° more heat at night, the mean 
of the minimums for the mouth being 67°. According to figures 
published in the New York Tribune at the time, the mercury at 
midnight in the 30 days ending July 21, 1877, fell only 3 times 
below 75°; and 8 times it stood at 80° or more. No approach to 
that heat has ever been observed in Central California. The mean 
of the July minimums is 69° at Red Bluff, and 77° at New Orleans. 

The days when the thermometer rises above 100° at Red Bluff or 
Visalia, and above 95° at Sacramento, are usually days when a 
strong north wind blows. It might be supposed that a wind from 
that direction would be cool, but the north wind of the Sacramento 
Basin is hot, sometimes scorching hot, and always intensely desiccat- 
ing in its influence, so that it blasts vegetation and fruit, occasionally 
kills small animals by sunstroke, and causes a serious depression in 



THE CLIMATES. 61 

spirits in persons of nervous temperament. Such winds come, per- 
haps, a dozen times a year, and sometimes last 10 days, but not 
more than 3 usually ; and the average intervals between them may 
be 2 weeks. The hot wind often blows in the Sacramento Valley 
with a temperature little above 80°, but it does not become very 
oppressive until it has a temperature of 90°; it then evaporates an 
inch of water Mdthin 24 hours. While it continues, cows give a 
third less milk than under ordinary circumstances ; and if the wheat 
is "in the milk" the crop is destroyed. The hottest wind ever 
known in Central California was observed in Stanislaus County on 
the 23d of June, 1859, when the thermometer rose in the shade to 
113°. It is said that this wind gives relief to asthmatics, but makes 
consumptives worse. 

The oppressiveness of the midday heat in the interior of Califor- 
nia, as well as in other parts of our slope between the 20th and 42nd 
degrees of latitude, is mitigated by the extreme dryness of the at- 
mosphere, which carries away the perspiration rapidly, and thus 
counteracts the effects of the heat. As a consequence, there is less 
feeling of discomfort at Ked Blufif, when the thermometer reaches 
100°, than in New York, when it goes to 85°. In the former place, 
the mean relative humidity of the 4 months from June to September, 
inclusive, is 32, while in New York, during the same months, it is 
71; in New Orleans, 67; and in St. Louis, 63. At all points east of 
the Mississippi it is more than double as much as in the northern 
end of the Sacramento Valley. In Sacramento City the relative 
humidity for these four months is 46, and at Visalia, 40. This 
extreme atmospheric dryness in California is a protection against 
simstroke, the cases of which are rare, averaging not 5 per cent, of 
the number that occur in the American States, east of the Mississippi 
River. There have been, presumably, 120 fatal cases in California, 
within 30 years; and of these, 10 occurred in Colusa County in 
June, 1876. There are 4 annually on an average in the State. 
In St. Louis there were 135 deaths by sunstroke in the week ending 
July 19, 1878; in New York City there were 79 in the 24 hours 
ending at noon on July 1, 1880; in Great Britain there are 90 
deaths by sunstroke annually. Hydrophobia, which is frequent in 
countries that have intense summer heat in a moist atmosphere, is 
rare on the Pacific slope north of Mexico; indeed, there is reason to 
doubt whether there is one genuine case on record. 

Two or three sandstorms visit the middle and southern part of the 
San Joaquin Valley every year, and sometimes fill the air with dust 
to such an extent that lamps must be used in the houses while the 
sun is above the horizon. 

The mean January temperature of Sacramento City is 49°; of Red 
Bluff, 47"; and of Visalia, 48\ showing a remarkable uniformity. 
On 5 days in January, 1878, the mercury fell below 32°, the lowest 
observation being 28°. On 6 days at Red Bluff it went down to the 
freezing point, the lowest being 25°; and in 7 days it went to 32° at 



62 THE CLIMATES. 

Visalia, the lowest being 24°. The frost is more frequent and severe 
at the ends of the great valley than in its middle. The mercury has 
fallen as low as 12° in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley, 
the proximity of the Californian Alps, with their great masses of 
snow, making the frost more severe there than in any other part of 
the State near the level of the sea. At Red Bluff the mercury has 
fallen to 14°; at Sacramento to 16°, and at Summer to 12°; but such 
cold does not occur more than once in 10 years, on an average. 

There are 5° of latitude between Sumner, at the southern end of 
the San Joaquin Valley, and Eedding, at the northern end of the 
Sacramento Valley. The average annual rainfall at the two towns, 
and at various intervening places, was thus calculated by B. B. 
Redding from statistics accessible in 1878 : Sumner, 4 inches; De- 
lano, 4; Tulare, 5; Borden, 3; Merced, 9; Modesto, 10; Stockton, 
13; Sacramento, 19; Marysville, 17; Chico, 22; Tehama, 16; Red 
Bluff, 18; and Redding, 29. These figures imply that in the Sacra- 
mento-San Joaquin Valley each degree of latitude brings 4 or 5 
inches of additional rain. The towns in the San Joaquin Valley, 
from Sumner to Stockton are on its eastern side; the western side, 
in the same respective latitudes, has not half so large a rainfall. 

As we ascend the Sierra Nevada, the amount of rain increases 
rapidly with the elevation. Thus, on the line of the Central Pacific 
Railroad, the mean annual rainfall for 8 years was 19 inches at Sac- 
ramento; 43 at Colfax, at an elevation of 2,422 feet; 47 at Alta, 
3,607 feet above the sea; 55 at Cisco, 5,934 feet high, and 58 at the 
Summit, 7,017 feet high. This indicates an additional inch of rain 
for each increase of 200 feet in elevation. In these figures, one foot 
of fresh snow is counted as equivalent to an inch of rain, and above 
2,000 feet there is some snow every winter; above 5,000 feet more 
snow than rain; above 6,000 feet nearly all the precipitation is in 
the form of snow, which near the summit is not unfrequently 20 feet 
deep, after much has melted, and the remainder has been packed 
into a hard mass. 

Los Angeles Climate. — The Los Angeles meteorological region 
includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, and those portions of Los Angeles, 
San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, at the western base of the 
Coast Range, and on their western slope, fronting 280 miles on the 
Pacific, and extending on an average 40 miles inland. The entire 
region lies south of latitude 35°, and beyond the influence of those 
cold summer fogs and strong breezes which give a peculiar coolness 
to San Francisco in the summer. Los Angeles City lies only 14 
miles from the ocean, without the shelter of any intervening hill, 
but it has a warm climate, the mean of July being 71°; the mean of 
its maximums being 80°, and of its minimums 62°. The mean of 
its January is 54°, the lowest temperature recorded for the month in 
1878 being 37°. It is, however, not exempt from frost ; for the 
mountains to the eastward, within 20 miles, rise to an elevation of 
10,000 feet, and in the winter have much snow, which helps to send 



THE CLIMATES 63 

the mercury down occasionally as low as 24°, causing serious damage 
among the nurseries of orange and lemon trees. The cold is not 
severe enough to injure the old trees, or the fruit which is usually 
of full size and ripe, when the frost comes. San Diego, at the 
southern end of the Los Angeles region, has a mean temperature of 
69° in July and 55° in January. Santa Barbara, near the northern 
end of this district, has a mean of 71° in July and 54° in January. 
These figures give a general idea of the temperature of the whole 
region. The climate, though not exempt from occasional severe 
frosts, is subtropical in its main features, and the fruits and orna- 
mental plants include many varieties that belong to the warmest 
borders of the temperate zone. Going eastward from Los Angeles, 
at a distance of 50 miles we reach the San Bernardino Valley, from 
800 to 1,200 feet above the sea, with about tlie same mean tempera- 
ture as near the ocean shore ; but occasionally with greater heat in 
July, and harder frost in January. 

The greater part of this Los Angeles region has occasional hot 
north winds and sand storms in the summer. A hot wind at Santa 
Barbara, on June 17, 1859, had a temperature of 133°. Trees were 
blasted ; fruit was blistered and killed ; and calves, rabbits, and 
birds died from exposure to the wind. In the last 22 years no wand 
approaching that one, in heat or damaging effects, has been felt in 
any part of the State. 

The average annual rainfall is about 15 inches at Santa Barbara, 
12 at Los Angeles, 10 at San Diego, and 9 at Colton. The climate 
at Los Angeles has been marked by periods of large and small rain- 
fall. Thus in the 4 seasons ending June, 1864, the highest rainfall 
was 13 inches, and the aggregate of the 4 years was only 28 inches, 
or an average for the period of 7 inches; M'hile in the 3 years 
ending June, 1876, the lowest fall was 21 inches, and the average, 
according to one rain-gauge, was 24 inches. The average of the 10 
years ending June, 1870, was 10 inches; of the 10 years ending June, 
1880, 14 inches. The smaller rainfall in San Bernardino Valley 
is claimed to be advantageous to all those places supplied with 
abundant water for irrigation, on the theory that the dryness of the 
atmosphere protects the orange and other fruit-trees from destructive 
insects. 

One feature of the climate of the Los Angeles, Utah and Arizona 
regions, and of the southern part of the Sacramento region, is the 
occasional occurrence of "cloud bursts," or extremely heavy rains, 
in which the water pours down, as if a reservoir had broken in the 
sky. The consequence is, that sometimes ravines, previously dry, 
are suddenly filled with water, which sweeps everything before it, 
not giving people time to escape. There is no ti'ustworthy record 
of a cloud burst in or near any of the larger towns of California; 
they are of rare occurrence anywhere, and are never observed in 
the large valleys. 



64 THE CLIMATES. 

Oregon Climate. — The western Oregon region includes all those 
portions of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, north of 
latitude 43°, and west of the summit of the Cascade Range. It has 
an abundant rainfall in summer, as well as in other seasons of the 
year, a moist atmosphere, a cool summer, a mild winter, little ice or 
snow, and a dense growth of coniferous trees over most of its area. 

The mean temperature of July is 69° at Portland, and 63° at 
Olympia; of January, 42°, at Portland, and 41° at Olympia. The 
climate of Puget Sound bears a close resemblance to that of Eng- 
land, but is 4° warmer in winter. At Porland, the higliest tempera- 
ture in July, 1877, was 91°, and the mean at 2 p. m., was 81° while 
the mean of the minimums, was 55°, indicating that the nights are 
always cool. The mean at 2 p. m., in January was 46°, and the 
mean of the minimums 36°. On 8 diflfei-ent days, the thermometer 
fell to the freezing point, the lowest figure reached being 18°. Only 
once did the thermometer remain so low as the freezing point for 24 
consecutive hours. At Olympia the thermometer rose to 80° or 
more on 8 different days in July, 1877, and to 75° or more on 16 
days. The mean of the minimums in that month was about 50°. 
The highest observation in January, 1878, was 52°, and the mean of 
the minimums was SG". The lowest temperature was 25°, and on 8 
different days the mercury fell to tlie freezing point, but never was 
so low as that at midday. No thick ice ever forms near the level of 
the sea on the Pacific side of the continent, in the latitude of Boston. 
The temperature is about the same on Vancouver Island as at 
Olympia. 

The annual rainfall of the Western Oregon region is about 80 
inches near the ocean, and from 40 to 60 inches 50 miles inland. On 
the eastern shore of Vancouver Island and in Southern Oregon it is 
less; and in the northern part of British Columbia more. There 
are no tornadoes. The mean relative humidity of the warm 
semester is 67 at Portland, and 76 at Olympia; of the cold semester, 
77 at the former and 82 at the latter place. 

The Eastern Oregon meteorological region includes the country 
between the 42nd and 55th parallels of latitude, and between the 
summits of the Cascade Chain and the Rocky Mountains. The 
temperature in the southern part of this region is nearly the same as 
in New York City; the mean of July being from 72° to 75°, and of 
January 30° to 35°. The annual i-ainfall, however, is only a third so 
much as at ]\Ianhattan Bay, not averaging more than 15 inches, but 
this is enough to secure good crops in the agricultural districts, the 
soil being moister than in California. The northern part of this 
meteorological region has a higher elevation, more cold in the winter, 
ajid more rain. 

Utah and Arizona. — The Utah meteorological region, including 
nearly all of Utah and Nevada, and part of California east of the 
Sierra Nevada, has a temperature differing little from that of New 
York, the mean temperature of January being 30°, and that of July, 



THE CLIMATES. Co 

78°. The rainfall ranges from 1 8 inches, at Salt Lake City, to 4 
inches, near Humboldt Lake. The average for the region is not 
more than 7 inches, and the evaporation, from exposed water sur- 
faces, is more than 4 feet a year. 

The Arizona meteorological region, which includes Arizona, 
Sonora and South-eastern California, has intense heat in the sum- 
mer ; and in the high lands, intense cold in the winter. At Tuc- 
son, the mercury is never below 90° at 2 p. m. , in July ; and the 
mean of the minimums for that month is 78°, indicating nights too 
hot for comfort. The elevation is 1,000 feet above the sea, and on 
25 of the 31 days in January, 1878, the mercury fell to the freezing 
point, the lowest point being 24°. Yuma, at the level of the sea, 
representing the low valleys in Arizona, has a mean of 104°, in July, 
and 56° in January. In July, 1878, there were only 4 days in which 
the thermometer did not go to 100° ; and in the 5 months, of May, 
June, July, August, and September of the year 1877-78, the mer- 
cury reached that figure on 99 different days. On 23 days in July, 
the mercury did not fall below 80°. Notwithstanding its broiling 
summer, the place is visited by frost in the winter. In the moun- 
tains the heat and cold vary with the elevation. The average annual 
rainfall, which occurs from June to September inclusive — the re- 
mainder of the year being the dry season — is 4 inches at Yuma, 13 
at Tucson, and more in the mountains, running up to 25 inches in 
the eastern and north-eastern i)art of the Territory. 

Of the climate of Western Mexico, south of Sonora, we have no 
meteorological statistics ; but we know that it is hot, through the 
year, near the level of the sea, and, south of Sinaloa, the rains are 
abundant. The rainy season, or the wettest part of the year there, 
as in Arizona, is in the summer months. 

Alaska. — The climate of Southern Alaska is chilly, damp and 
foggy in the Summer, and about as cold as that of New York in the 
winter. At Sitka the mean temperature is 30° in January, and 55° 
in July. 



CHAPTER in. 

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 



The Pacific Slope. — The tourist having been brought to San 
Francisco, and the climate of the Pacific Slope having been described 
to him, he is now prepared to consider the relative attractiveness of 
various features of the scenery, business and society of this Coast. 
There is here much unlike anything to be found elsewhere, much 
that gains special interest from the fact, that it is situated iii a 
country undergoing a rapid industrial upheaval. Progress is march- 
ing over the land ^\•ith seven-league boots, and the grain Avhich she 
sows at every step, unlike that mentioned iu the Grecian myth, 
covers the land, not with destroying soldiers, but with peaceful pro- 
I ducers. In most other regions, civilization is a plant of very slow 
I growth, and does not blossom, until it has been cultivated and 
■ guarded for a thousand years; but here, within a generation, it 
reaches an unsurpassed luxuriance of bloom. The activity of busi- 
ness, and the surroundings of a prosperous population, make an 
atmosphere, that contributes much to the enjoyment of sojourners, 
as well as of permanent residents. 

It is not to be supposed that all persons traveling nierelj- for their 
pleasure, will find equal enjoyment in the same sights ; but we may 
safely assume, that those scenes which have been nu^st attractive in 
the past, to tourists sjenerally, will also be so iu the future. 

Pleasure Kesort Districts,— Among these, the tirst place belongs 
to San Francisco, with her leading business streets; her cable rail- 
roads; her ocean beach; her Seal Rocks; her spacious bay, studded 
with islands; her active stock market; her cemeteries; her park; 
her Chinatown; and her hundred liills, some of them crowned with 
palaces. The attractiveness of our Pacific metropolis varies little in 
the course of a year. The city is a resort of pleasure-seekers in the 
summer as well* as in the winter. It offers a refuge from the heat 
of July, as well as from the cold of January, in the interior of tlie 
continent. The visitor may find almost equal satisfaction whetlier 
he comes in May, September or December. The novelties of the 
topography and architecture, and the main features of public life 
can V)e seen within a week, but the city never grows dull, and is the 
most convenient centre from which to explore the other districts. 
The second place belongs to Yosemite, with its cliffs, waterfalls, 



CENTRAL CAT.irOTlMA. (./ 

domes, and adjacent mountain peaks, and mannnoth groves. The 
Yoscmite requires six days, including the time going and coming, 
Avith two days (the shortest reasonable allowance) in the valley ; and 
is entirely exhausted for the average tourist after he has f-taid there 
ten days. The best time in an ordinary season for the li\p is from 
May 1st to July 1st. From October 1st to ]\Iay 1st, the visitor is 
exposed to the chances of snows, which may interfere with his move- 
ments, even if they do not obstruct the roads for more than a few 
days. 

With many persons, however, and especially those suffering 
from general debility, and desirous of sojourning for months, a 
favorite portion of the State is Southern California, where they find 
an inexhaustible charm in living out of doors through the dry warm 
winters, as well as through the summers, in the midst of ever bloom- 
ing gardens and orange orchards never without flo\\er;j or fruit, and 
for many months bearing both at the same time. Los Angeles City 
is a convenient centre from which to visit the other portiouL! of the 
sub-tropical coast, in the triangle bounded by San Diego, Santa Bar- 
bara, and San Bernardino, and is a metropolis possessing Uiany at- 
tractions within her limits and in her near vicinity. Sau Gabriel, 
Pasadena, Santa Monica, Anaheim, Orange and ^^'e;:;tminster can be 
reached within two hours; and the trip to lUversidc — one of the 
most interesting towns in the State — takes half a day. This dis- 
trict appears to the best advantage in the early spring, from Febru- 
ary to April, inclusive, when the hills and plains are green, the sky 
clear, and the temperature mild. From June to September, the heat 
is often oppressive, the landscape outside of the orchai"ds*\ineyards, 
and gardens always brown, and the roads are dusty. The traveler 
passing between San Francisco and New York, on the southern 
route, .-.hould not fail to stop at Los Angeles and see San Gabriel. 

Another district that has many visitors, perhaps more than any 
other on the coast, is that of Santa Cruz and ^Monterey, situated 
within four hours ride from the metropolis, accessil)lc l>y sea as well 
as land, supplied with numerous excellent houses of entertainment, 
and possessing a great variety of natural scenery and pleasant resorts, 
including bathing beaches, drives, mineral springs, great trees, and 
beautiful summer homes on the mountain tops. Tliey continue to 
grow in favor as tliey are better known. The Santa Cruz district 
borders on the ocean, and preserves its verdure, outside of the gar- 
dens and cultivated fields, till late in the summer, and the tourist 
season at Monterey never closes, though the patronage is much 
larger from May to October inclusive, than during the other six 
months. Three days may suffice for a hasty glance Ijy the hurried 
traveler. 

The counties of Alameda, Santa Clara and Contra Costa may be 
considered another district, which includes the remarkable mountain 
summits of Mt. Dia])lo and Mt. Hamilton, the mountain passes and 
canyons back of Oakland, and the extensive gardens and orchards 



68 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

covering a large part of the plain from Oakland to Los Gatos, a dis- 
tance of more than fifty miles. 

Crossing the Golden Gate, we come to what may be called the 
San Pablo district, north of San Pablo Bay, including Napa, Sonoma, 
Petaluma, Russian and Clear Lake Valleys, with Mt. St. Helena, 
Howell Mountain, the Geysers, the Petrified Forest, the Sulphur 
Bank Quicksilver Mine, numerous excellent medicinal springs, and 
a large number of extensive vineyards. The San Pablo and Ala- 
meda districts appear to the most advantage from March to June 
inclusive, and, while a general idea of each can be obtained within 
three or four days, they are more varied in their attractions than 
Los Angeles, and will furnish entertainment for as long a period to 
those who have the leisure. 

These six districts, which may be designated by the names of San 
Francisco, the Yosemite, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Alameda and 
San Pablo, include the most attractive features of Califomian 
scenery, business and society ; and for the average tourist, any one 
considered separately, has more interest than auy portion of Oregon, 
Wasliington, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Idaho or Mexico, all of 
which, however, have their own attractions. It is not improbable 
that after a few years, Mazatlan, or some other town on the western 
coast of Mexico, will have many visitors every winter, from the 
northern portions of our Coast ; but as yet, there is a lack of accom- 
modations, amusements and society. The wonders and beauties of 
the Columbia River, of the snow peaks of Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, 
Mt. Adanas and Mt. St. Helen's, and of the great i)eaks, and the 
inter-islana channels of Alaska, will have many thousands of visitors 
every summer, a^ter thej^ are better known and are made more con- 
veniently accessible. 

The Canyon of the Colorado, and the ruins of ancient cities in 
Arizona, may also in a few years become far more prominent in tho 
public estimation than they are at present. 

We shall have something to say in subsequent chapters about 
Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska and Arizona, for the 
r)resent, our attention will be limited to the Golden State. 

Characteristics. — Now that we are in California, let us make a 
brief statement of her main characteristics. Many of these will be 
observed separately when we visit different districts, but it may bo 
well to get a general view of them before starting out. W"e find a 
combination of rich resources and attractive features, such as can 
not be found elsewhere. Other lands, like Great Britain and France, 
New York and Pennsylvania, may be better fitted to maintain a 
dense population, but if they have much which California has not, 
on the other hand, she has much in which they are lacking. She 
has many peculiarities of climate, topography, scenery, geologj^, 
botany, zoology, industry and population. Her rainfall measures 
20 inches, and the number of rainy days is limited to about 60 days 
in the year; or half as many as in the Atlantic States or Central 



CENTEAL CALIFORNIA. 69 

Europe. The scarcity of rain, between May and October, and of 
snow find ice in the winter, relieves life from many of the annoyances 
and discomforts experienced elsewhere. Thunder, hail and fierce 
Avindstorms are great rarities. The summers are cool near the ocean 
and hot in the interior, where the air is remarkably dry, and the 
sky, except in the rainy season, almost cloudless. Different climates 
are found at various latitudes, elevations and distances from the 
Pacific, and every meteorological condition may be found that is 
needed for comfort or health. 

A Mountainous Country. — Numerous steep and high mountain 
ranges, most of them parallel with the ocean shore, cut the State 
into narrow strips of valley. More than 100 different peaks rise to 
an elevation exceeding 10,000 feet. The mountains are everywhere 
in sight, and the views not only from their summits, but from the 
intervening valleys, present a landscape that is grand and beautiful. 
The hills, generally bare of timber, have a beauty of modeling unseen 
in those regions where the heights are covered with forest. In the 
yellow or brown tinge of their midsummer garb there are charms 
little inferior to the verdure of spring. The sunlight has a peculiar 
warmth of color, in harmony with the tints of plain and mountain. 

At the northern end of the State is Mt. Shasta, an immense vol- 
canic cone, rising a mile and a half above the level of the ridges in 
its vicinity, covered with a complete mantle of snow, for more than 
a mile of vertical height, through nine months of the year, and visible 
from an immense area. It has no equal in the north temperate zone, 
and nothing that approaches it in Europe. Mt. San Bernardino and 
its associate snow peaks, supply a magnificent distance and contrast 
to the orange groves in the valleys of the Los Angeles, San Gabriel 
and Santa Ana; less elevated, but more remarkable for the territory 
which it commands, is Mt. Diablo, rising in the midst of the State, 
as in an amphitheatre, and looking down on an area of 40,000 square 
miles, and on the homes of 500,000 people. From its peak, the 
spectator can see the western slope and summit of the Sierra Nevada, 
from Mt. Lassen to Mt. Whitney, a distance of 350 miles, while in 
its immediate vicinity are fertile farms, and a little further the bays 
tributary to the Golden Gate, and the cities of San Francisco, Sac- 
ramento and Stockton. 

The Californian Alps, as we call the highest portion of the Sierra 
Nevada, between latitudes 35° and 38°, have four great chasms, the 
most remarkable of which, the Yosemite, on the headwaters of the 
Merced, has a world-wide reputation for its cliffs, half a mile high, 
for half a dozen waterfalls, one measuring, vertically, a third of a 
mile, and for its peculiar dome-shaped granite peaks. Within a few 
miles are several groves of the sequoia f/i(jantea, i-eaching a height of 
300, and a diameter in the trunk of 30 feet. The Tuolumne, King's 
and Kern Rivers have each a chasm similar to that of the Merced, 
but less accessible as well as inferior in the combination of attractive 
features. 



70 CENTHAL CALt Foil's lA. 

(Geological Convulsions. — The marks of great geological convul- 
sions are numerous, and include hundreds of extinct volcanoes. 
One of these, Mb. St. Helena, is visible from San Francisco, and the 
hills that bound Sonoma and Kapa Valleys, on both sides, are mainly 
composed of igneous rocks. From the summit of Mt. Lassen, one 
of tlie highest and most prominent crater cones in the State, 35 
others of less note can be counted. Thousands of square miles are 
covered with basalt, which in several cases filled up the beds of 
rivers, without covering the adjacent banks; these being of softer 
material, were gradually eroded in the course of ages, leaving the 
lava to stand like a huge serpent winding down through the land- 
scape, the more remarkable, when, as at Clierokee and Columbia, it 
covers rich beds of auriferous gravel. There are numerous mineral 
springs, hot and cold, in various parts of the State, and in Sonoma 
and Plumas Counties, especially, there are canyons abounding with 
hot and steaming mineral springs. 

Mineral Wealth. — California is striped longitudinally with val- 
uable mineral deposits. Near the ocean is asphaltum, associated 
with petroleum. Next to this comes quicksilver, found from Trinity 
to San Luis Obispo County. Then we have the coal measures, and 
these are followed by large deposits of copper, at the western base 
of the Sierra Nevada. A little higher on the mountain side is a belt 
of placers and auriferous quartz ; on the eastern slope is silver, and 
at the eastern base of the chain, borax. In gold the State is now 
more productive than the Australian Colony of Victoria, which long 
took the lead of the world. 

Peculiar Vegetation. — In vegetation, California is unlike any 
other portion of the globe, though more akin to Europe than to the 
Atlantic States. We have no hickory, beech, white-walnut or 
basswood; our oaks, maples, black- walnuts, buckeyes, pines and 
lirs, are species not found on the other side of the continent : our 
redwood, evergreen oak, valley oak, madrono, laurel, manzanita, 
ceanothus, chamiso, poison oak, altilerillo and bur clover, the pre- 
dominant plants in tne indigenous vegetation near the ocean, are 
not found elsewhere. 

Our agriculture is i^eculiar. Wheat occupies two-thirds of the 
cultivated area, and barley ranks next in the list of cereals. Usually, 
grain is cut \\-ith tlie lieader, taken immediately to the threshing 
machine, and left lying in sacks on the open field for weeks or 
months. Neither stack nor barn is needed for it. ISIaize occupies 
an insignificant place. The annual wool crop amounts to about 
22,000 tons. Most of the domestic animals are never housed, and 
require no food but wild lierbage. In fine m'ooI and fast horses Cali- 
fornia excels. The European grape covers about 70,000 acres ; the 
orange 10,000; the apple 0,000; the peach and apricot 2,000; the 
plum, prune and nectarine, 1,000; and the pear as many. The 
drying of raisins, plums, prunes, apricots and figs, and the camiing 
of apricots, plums, prunes and pears, are extensive and growing 



CENTRAL CALIFOltMA. 71 

industries. No country surpasses this State in the large size and 
brilliant color of the fruit, in the quantity produced in proportion to 
the number of inhabitants, in the length of the season for which it is 
found in the market, or in the enterprise and skill of its orchardists. 

Flowers. — A resident of the Atlantic Slope who came to Califor- 
nia several years since, with a party of editorial visitors, wrote thus 
of the flowers in the gardens of San Francisco and vicinity : "Like 
everybody else, I had heard much of the marvelous beauty and 
wealth of blossom of the flowers of California, and although the 
season of their glory and pride is far advanced, I was not prepared 
to see such wonderful exhibitions and floral display as was spread 
out on all sides, upon taking a drive into the residence portion of 
the city, on the afternoon of the first day of our stay liere. Our 
carriage load of Eastern travelers had none of them been to the 
Pacific coast Ijcfore, and one might w^ell have thought that we were 
all jolly green in the matter of flowers, upon hearing our exclama- 
tions of suprise and admiration, as we drove about the city. Such 
fuchsias, trained up to and covering the second story windows of 
the houses, or standing out in trees of many feet higli, and weighted 
with richly coloreil buds and blossoms. Such vines of ivy geranium, 
one solid mass of leaf and flower. Such roses of every imaginaljle 
name and kind. Such ivies, with leaves large enough for mother 
Eve to have covei'ed herself with quite comfortably, if they grew as 
large in her day. Such beds of verbenas and such patches of helio- 
trope. I thought I had seen fine specimens of all these beauties 
before, but I had never seen anything like these, and I Sliall look at 
my own little handful of flowering plants and shrubs, which I hmve 
heretofore tended with so much gratification, as most feeble attempts 
ivt the cultivation of flowers. A sight of the flowers of California 
cannot but have the eff'ect of seriously dwarfing the home produc- 
tions of those who have seen the floral products of the Pacific coast, 
at least as far as regards size of vine and wealth and profusion of 
blossoms. The geraniums, which flourish equally well here with 
other flowers, a few of which I have named, and scores of others as 
rich and beautiful, not enumerated, are past their prime, and now 
lading in blossom, but after a short respite, they will again renew 
their life when the rainy season connncnces, and thus keep up their 
round of almost ])erpetual bloom and beauty." 

Field for Sportsmen.— There are few portions of the United 
States, and there are not many countries in the world, that offer 
a better field of operation to the sportsman than can l>e found in 
California. Those who like sport combined with danger, will find all 
the excitement they wish in portions of the Coast Puinge, and on the 
western slojie of the Sierra, where grizzly and cinnamon l)ears and 
Califor-nian lions are plentiful. Deer, hare, rabbit and (piail abound 
in most portions of the State. During the winter and early spring, 
large flocks of wild ducks and geese frequent the rivers and sloughs, 
and arc sliot in such numbers, by persons who hunt for a lixelihood, 



72 CENTEAL CALIFORNIA. 

that they sometimes have little or no value in the market. There 
is fine salmon fishing in various parts of the State, and notably in 
the Sacramento River. There is good trout fishing in many of the 
streams, and for those who are fond of deep sea fishing there is ex- 
cellent sport in the harbor of San Francisco and the Bay of Monterey. 
The Califorilians. — The C'alifornians are, as a rule, well edu- 
cated. Nearly all the leading men are natives of the Atlantic States 
or of Europe, and many of them possess the best commercial and 
industrial talents, together with culture and acquirements of the 
most polished nations. Whatever has been done elsewhere to ac- 
cumulate experience, to train observation, to enlighten the judg- 
ment, to aid the human muscle, to facilitate production, to protect 
right, or to promote comfort, has been adopted here in its best form 
— speaking in general terms — and, in many respects, has been im- 
proved. Numerous inventions made by Californians in the washing 
of gold, the metallurgy of silver, the manufacture and transporta- 
tion of lumber, the conveyance of water, the communication of in- 
formation by the help of electric currents, and the traction of street 
railroads, are, in their influence, imperishable additions to progress. 
The most comprehensive system of codified law is that now in force 
in this State. 

The people of California have undertaken and successfully man- 
aged a multitude of great enterprises. Though our information in 
regard to other countries is not full, there is reason to claim that 
we have the largest dairy of the globe for the production of milk, 
the largest butter dairy, tlie largest cheese dairy, the largest vine- 
yard, the largest almond orchard, the largest orange orchard, the 
largest mining diich, the most productive placer mine, the most 
productive auriferous quartz mine, the most productive silver mine, 
the largest mining pump, the most remarkable pipe for conveying 
water across a deep valley, (the silver mine, pump and pipe, are in 
Nevada, but owned and managed by Californians, ) the largest hotel, 
and the corporation which has built the greatest number of miles of 
railroad. 

Komance of the Present. — California has few ruins, and those 
few not grand in size, nor beautiful in design, nor rich in historic asso- 
ciations. The oldest buildings are the mission churches, rude in 
architecture and coarse in material. The Indian mounds, the ac- 
cumulations of ages, contain little save dirt, coal, and the remnants 
of shells and bones. There is nothing to compare in archasological 
interest with the kitchen heaps of Denmark, the lake dwellings of 
Switzerland, the Indian mounds of the Mississippi Basin, or tho 
buried cities of Greece, Italy and Asia Minor. California's romance 
belongs not to the past but to the present. It is the building up of 
a populous, intellectual and wealthy community within a single 
generation upon a basis of permanence, with skillful mining, manu- 
facturing and agricultural industries, a world-wide commerce, a 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 73 

brilliant newspaper press, an excellent educational system, and 
luxurious homes. 

The Kanie California. — The word California was first used as the 
name of an imaginary island of the Pacific Ocean, in an obscure Spanish 
romance, published early in the sixteenth century; and when, 
subsequently, the Spaniards, sailing northward on a voyage of dis- 
covery from Acapulco, found a i)eninsula, which they supposed to be 
an island, they called it California. More than a century and a half 
later, Jesuit missionaries took possession of the peninsula, to which 
the name California was restricted, until 17G9, when a party of 
Franciscan friars was sent to build missions on the coast, from San 
Diego northward. The territory thus occupied was called Xew or 
Upper California, while, what was simply California before, became 
Older Lower California. The two were considered different prov- 
inces, and were called, the Californias ; sometimes under a single 
governor in military and a mission president in ecclesiastical affairs. 
When the Americans- obtained possession of upper or Alta Cali- 
fornia in 1846, tliey adopted its Spanish name, in official and popular 
use, and continued to do so until after the discovery of the gold 
mines of the Sierra Nevada. Then the territory became so import- 
ant, that the peninsula fell into relative insignificance, and wlien 
the Constitutional Convention adopted a name for the State, they 
called it California, as it then did not need a qualifying adjective to 
prevent people from mistaking it for the region to the southward. 

The Missions. — The present State of California was first seen by 
a white man in 1542, when Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator, in the 
service of Spain, visited the coast on a voyage of discovery. On 
April 11th, 1769, the first white settlers of California arrived at San 
Diego, in the brig San Antonio ; and on July 16th, 1769, the Mission 
of that i)lace was founded by Franciscan Friars, under the presidency 
of Junipero Serra. The Mission of San Carlos, near Monterey, was 
founded in 1770; those of San Gabriel and San Antonio in 1771 ; 
that of San Luis Obispo in 1772; those of San Francisco and San 
Juan Capistrano in 1776; that of Santa Clara in 1777; that of San 
Buenaventura in 1782; that of Santa Barbara in 1786; that of Pur- 
issima in 1787; that of Soledad in 1791; those of San Fernando, 
San Miguel, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz and San Jose in 1797; 
that of San Luis Rey in 1798 ; that of Santa Inez in 1804; that of 
San Rafael in 1817 ; and that of Sonoma in 1823. The last was the 
most northern, and the only one established under the ^lexican 
dominion. San Francisco de Asis, San Francisco Solano, Sau 
Antonto, San Luis Obispo, Sau Luis liey, San Buenaventura, Santa 
Clara and Santa Barbara, were saints of the different branches of the 
Franciscan Order ; Sau Diego, San Carlos and Sau Fernando, were 
national saints of Spain ; San Gabriel, San Rafael and San Miguel, 
are archangels; La Purissima, Concepcion, Santa Cruz and Soledad, 
may be claimed as mysteries of the faith. Every mission had a 
sacred title. 



74 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

From 1709 until the Spanish authority was overthi-own, April 9th, 
1822, the predominant authority was that of the friars. They held 
nearly all the land in trust for the missions, but had exclusive con- 
trol. From San Diego to San Francisco, the estates of the missions 
were considered to occupy a continuous strip. The power of the 
friars over the Indians, who made up 90 per cent, of the population, 
was practically unlimited, but was not abused. The red men had 
no separate property, and could not select their residences or occupa- 
tions. They began to diminish in numbers soon after the establish- 
ment of the missions, but had kinder treatment than they received 
after the authority of the friars was overthrown. The distance from 
Sin Diego to Sonoma is 500 miles ; and, as there were 21 missions, 
tiiey were, on an average, 25 miles apart ; but, as they were not on a 
straight line, and the average distance from one to another, by the 
traveled roads, was about 40 miles. The sites were well selected, 
being usually in fertile valleys at the base of mountains, in situations 
well supplied with water. The sites of San Francisco and San Diego, 
selected on account of proximity to the anchorages, on the only deep 
bays, had the least agricultural advantages. 

Mexican Dominion. — The friars were a self-denying set of men. 
They had little education or ability, but they were sincere, and 
generally managed the missions in a manner consistent with the 
principles of their order — the most ascetic and humble of all regular 
orders in the Catholic Church. Not one of the Spanish friars in 
California was ever the subject of any serious public scandal. Soon 
after the Mexican revolution began, the annual subsidy of $400 for 
each friar, from the government, was interrupted ; tlie soldiers and 
Indians became insubordinate, and the civil authorities hostile ; and 
the mission property began to decrease. In 1828, live of the Spanish 
friars left California, and those remaining alive, withdrew to the 
missions from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, in 1832, M-hen a party 
of Mexican Franciscans arrived. In 1835, the missions were sec- 
ularized ; that is, the friars were deprived of the control over the 
lands and herds, which were to be divided among the Indians and 
white residents ; but, as a matter of actual fact, the Indians got or 
kept nothing — all passing into the possession of the whites. During 
the next 11 years, California was in a condition of almost continuous 
revolution. The natives were not satisfied with the rule of governors 
sent to them from Mexico ; nor, after they expelled the strangers, 
could they agree among themselves. Many of the leading men were 
disposed to favor the idea of an American, British, or French pro- 
tectorate ; and the probability of a change of flag, was a subject of 
frequent conversation. 

American Settlers. — Before the end of the last century, Amer- 
ican whalers visited the Pacific ; and when the Mexican revolution 
began, the Americans had more ships in the North Pacific than any 
other nation. The overthrow of the authority of Spain opened the 
ports to trade, which fell mainly into the hands of Americans. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 75 

Young men from the Atlantic States settled at Los Angeles, Santa 
Barbara, and Monterey, for the purposes of trade. In 1826, the 
first party of American trappers arrived by land in California ; and 
the first party of emigrants who came in wagons, arrived in 1844. 
In 1840, the majority of the white settlers north of a line drawn 
from tlio (Joldcn Gate by way of Carquinez Straits and the American 
Kiver, weie Americans. It was estimated by I). Marsh, tliat there 
were in that year 7000 whites of Spanish blood, 10,000 mission 
Indians, 700 Americans, and 200 British, Irish, French, Germans, 
and Italians, in California. The Americans were confitlent in the 
advance of their country, as well as preponderant in numbers over 
the other foreigners. They believed that their government intended 
to obtain possession of California, and were anxious to hurry iip the 
event, from which they expected a great lienefit to the country. 

American Conquest. — On the 7th of July, 1S4G, the American flag 
was hoisted at Monterey, and California l)ecame a part of the United 
States. Some resistance was made, but it was because of the bad 
management of the volunteer forces, not because of any afTection on 
the part of the people for Mexico. The treaty with Mexico, trans- 
ferring the dominion, was not ratified till May 30th, 1848; but 
before that day, an event, destined to change the business and pop- 
ulation of the ten-itory, had occurred. Gold was discovered at 
Coloma, January 19th, 1848. It was a great event, not only for 
California, but for the world. The placers proved to be very rich, 
and they covered an area of 10,000 square miles. There was room 
for hundreds of thousands of laborers, and they came promptly. 
The report of the discovery gained little confidence in the valleys of 
California until May, and was not generally credited in the Eastern 
States until the end of the jear. In 1849, 80,000 immigrants came 
to California, and more than half as many for each of the three fol- 
lowing years, so that the white population had increased more than 
twenty fold within three yeai's. In 1849, a constitution was framed 
by a convention, which was in session six weeks, and adjourned on 
October 13th. On November 13th it was submitted to popular vote, 
and ratified ; and at the same time a set of executive officers and a 
State Legislature were elected. This State Government had no 
legal authority until recognized by Congress, but undci* instructions 
from Washington, the Military Governor, Gen. Eiley, issued a pro- 
clamation December 20th, relinquishing the administration of civil 
afiairs to the State Officials, who had been installed five days before. 
It was not until September 9th of the next year that the State was 
admitted into the Union, 

1850 to 1882. — For the last 32 years, California has made 
steady and rapid progress in many directions. The shallow placers 
have been nearly exhausted, so that now they do not yiehl more 
tlian $3,000,000 yearly, whereas, they yielded !i?r)0,000,000 in 1853. 
The present annual gohl prodjiction is about $18,000,000, of wliich 
sum more than half is from deep pLiccra worked by the hydraulic 



76 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

process ; and a third from quartz mines. The decrease in the gold 
yield, has been more than counterbalanced by the development of 
agricultural resources. California is now the leading American State 
in wool and wine, and one of the first in wheat. A great system of 
railroads connecting us with the Mississippi Valley, measuring G,000 
miles of road, west of the Rocky Mountains, has its chief ownership 
and transportation centre in ISan Francisco. Eegular steamship 
lines connect us with Panama and Sitka and intermediate ports, 
and with China, Japan, Australia and Honolulu. Califoi'nia has 
become a centre of pecuniary enterprise, and a source of emigration 
for our slope, and has exercised a potent influence in Oregon, Wash- 
ington, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. 

Californian Agriculture. — When the American gold hunters 
descended the Avestern slope of the Sierra Nevada, or crossed tlie 
Sacramento Valley, in the fall of 1849, they said to one another that 
the country was unfit for cultivation, and would never be desirable 
for the permanent home of civilized men, though it might be an 
excellent place to stay for a few years, until enough gold could be 
accumulated to secure a comfortable residence in tlie Atlantic States 
or Europe. Every year brought evidence that they had undervalued 
the agricultural resources of the land, and that they had made a 
serious mistake in measuring its capacities by its appearance in the 
dryest part of the year. The introduction of the varieties of fruit 
trees, grape-vines, kitchen vegetables, ornamental plants, timber 
trees, sheep, cows and horses, better than any known to the native 
Californians, and the arrival of farmers, gardeners, orchardists, wine- 
makers, shepherds and dairymen, possessing the highest skill of the 
most enlightened communities, contributed to make a rapid succes- 
sion of changes, until now the agriculture of California is in many 
respects, inferior to that of no other country; and in many respects 
it has no equal. The Westminster He view says, that she was ' ' first 
the treasury and then the garden of the world." Some other 
authority says she is "the cornucopia of the continent," She is 
competing with Spain in the production of raisins, with Sicily in 
oranges, with France in wine and prunes, and has not yet taken a 
fair start in olives and figs, lemons and limes. 

San Francisco. — Though San Francisco had oply 233,000 inhab- 
itants in 1880 and, therefore, must be classed as to size with cities of 
the third or fourth grade, she may fairly claim a place in the first 
rank in point of interest to the traveler and student. She possesses 
a happy combination of advantages in her situation, the agreeable 
nature of her climate, the activity of her business, the rapidity of 
her growth, the cosmopolitan character of her population, and the 
abundance and variety of her public amusements. Nature and art 
have united their powers to make it the metropolis of this side of 
our continent. Her position is midway on the western coast ; and 
topographical, industrial and climatic influences unite, with estab- 
lished routes of travel, and financial and social considerations, to make 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 77 

her the converging point of the entire slope. Her chief business 
district is 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean, on the eastern side of the 
head of a peninsula, 30 miles long, that separates the southern arm 
of San Francisco Bay from the sea. This bay, covering with its 
branches more than COO square miles, has been aptly described as 
"a miniature Mediterranean," and in beauty and convenience for 
commerce, is not unworthy of its magnificent entrance, the Golden 
Gate. 

The City's Origin. — The city is the successor and heir of two 
villages, those of San Francisco and Yerba Buena. The former oc- 
cupied about 150 acres near the mission church, on the corner of 
Dolores and Sixteenth Streets, the mission having been founded by 
Franciscan Friars, October 8th, 1776. For 59 years the authority 
of the mission was dominr.nt, at least nominally, but it was over- 
thrown in 1835 by the decree of secularization, and then the village 
of San Francisco succeeded. In that same year W. A. Richardson, 
an Englishman, who had been residing for 13 years at Saucelito, 
erected a tent at 811 Dupont Street, as the place is now designated, 
to trade in hides and tallow. This was the beginning of the village 
of Yerba Bucna, which in 1845 occupied about 40 acres of land on 
the shore of Yerba Buena Cove. The two villages were separated by 
3 miles of sand hills, covered with dense chaparral, and the only 
communication was by a horse trail. San Francisco was Spanish- 
American and lived by the sale of hides and tallow; Yerba Buena 
was American and British, and lived by trading. A great change 
was made in July, 1846, when the American flag was hoisted, and 
San Francisco Bay became the headquarters of the American Navy 
on the Pacific. In July of the next year, the village of Yerba Buena 
assumed the name of San Francisco; and in July, 1848, six months 
after the gold discovery, had about 500 residents, oi* perhaps one- 
fifteenth so many people as the average annual increase of the pop- 
ulation for the last 32 years. Every house not standing within 2 
miles from the business centre of the city has been built within 36 
years ; and every house of the better class within 30 years. The 
face of nature has been changed, so that those who saw the site iu 
1848, no longer recognize it. Then there was scarcely level space 
enough for 500 people ; now there is room for 500,000 people. Hun- 
dreds of hills and ridges have been cut down ; and large tracts of 
ravine, swamp, mud flat and bay, filled up. 

A City of 100 Hills.--]Srotwithstandingall that has been done 
by industrial art to reduce the steepness of the natural grades of 
streets and lots, including the transfer of 20,000,000 cubic yards of 
earthy material, San Francisco is still remarkably hilly, and may 
properly be termed *'The City of 100 Hills." The highest point, a 
mile and a quarter south-eastward from the Mission Peaks, is 938 
feet high. The Mission Peaks, twin hills of equal height, perhaps 
200 yards apart, are 925 feet ; Reservoir Hill, a mile north-west from 
the Mission Peaks, 920; Park Peak, 570; Bernal Hill, 480; Lone 



78 CE*{TKAL CALIFORNIA. 

Mountaiu, 468 ; Strawberry Hill, in the Golden Gate Park, 426 ; 
Eussiau Hill, a mile long, and the most prominent hill in the densely 
settled part of the city, 400; Potrero Hill, 32G; Telegraph Hill, 
294 ; South San Francisco Hill, 260; and Eincon Hill, 120. These 
are all within the city limits, and are but a few of many, the others 
being less notable because of remoteness from the settled districts 
or smaller elevation. Eussian Hill, Telegraph Hill and Eincon Hill 
are covered with dwellings. Almost as numerous as the hills are 
the valleys, some of which are in tiie shape of amphitheatres, nearly 
surrounded by heights, from which tlie spectator looks down on a 
densely populated territory, interesting by day and brilliant at 
night when numerons long rows of gas lights and lighted windows 
are spread out, reaching to the hill-tops"in the remote distance. 
Such amphitheatres are seen looking from Telegraph Hill to the 
south-westward, from Eincon Hill to the westward, from Mission 
Peaks to the north-eastward, from Eussian Hill to the westward, and 
from its southern end to the southward, the last being the most attract- 
iveof these views, and also themostconveniently accessible. The city, 
as seen from the approaching Oakland ferry-boat, makes an impres- 
sive appearance, especially at night, when ablaze with lines of light 
climbing its hills. A clergyman from Ohio, the Eev. G. W. Pepper, 
thus expressed himself : 

"Inconceivably beautiful is the tirst glimpse of San Francisco. 
This city is the grandest embodiment of the American mind ! the 
most modern type of the ancient cities, which fancy dreams of in 
the past ! American genius covered that sandy ground with a throng 
of business temples, sacred edifices, palatial residences — the come- 
liest assemblages of structures the sun has ever gilded. The puldic 
buildings — the Mint, the California Bank, the Merchants Exchange, 
the hotels — Baldwin, Occident, Lick House, and the Palace, are mar- 
vels of architecture. * * San Francisco has no rival in the United 
States. We may contrast, but not compare it with Eastern or even 
European cities. London is grantl but not beautiful. Paris is beau- 
tiful but not grand, Constantinople is picturesque, but has no 
architectural splendor. But San Francisco has all these attributes. 
It has been compared to Cleveland, city of beautiful avenues, Cleve- 
land is charming ; San Francisco is stupendous, romantic ; Cleveland 
is lovely ; San Francisco is grand ; Cleveland is American ; San 
Francisco is Cosmopolitan ; Cleveland is a garden made by man ; 
San Francisco looks as if it were built by the gods." 

A. E. I). Eupert, wlio wrote a book about his travels in the United 
States, says: "San Francisco is a city of wondrous sights. It is 
the most picturesque town in America — not even excepting Quebec — 
and also one of the most beautiful. Its streets, whether on the level 
plain or running up and down hills of various lieights, are well laid 
out — wide and straight. They are well paved and extremely clean 
in summer, being almost daily or nightly swept by the trade winds — 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 70 

l>y the May, the most faithful blowers I have ever met — and care- 
fully sprinkled." 

Telegraph Hill. — In the north-eastern coraer of San Francisco 
is Telegraph Hill, so called because in 1849 and for some years after- 
wards, it was occupied by a Telegraph Station, with arms attached 
to a pole, and when a vessel entered the harbor, these were moved 
to indicate the character of the new arrival. Tlie signal for a side- 
wheel steamer, about the time when the New York Mail, by way of 
Panama, was expected, attracted great attention. The hill is 206 
feet high, and from its summit the best view of the water front and 
business portion of the city can be obtained. All the wharves, from 
Itincon Point to North Point, are in sight; with the shipping at 
anchor, either in the stream or in the slips. The Golden Gate and 
the Pacific Ocean, nearly all of both arms of San Francisco Bay, 
part of San Pablo Bay, the Cqntra Costa Mountains for a distance of 
thirty miles, Monte Diablo, the Suscol Hills, tlie hills bjeyond Napa 
N'alley, the range between Napa and Sonoma, the plains of Alameda 
and San Paljlo, Oakland, Brooklyn, Alameda, San Leandro, San 
Lorenzo, Hajward's, and various other villages, are Aisible. It is 
important to select a very clear day. The view is so extensive that 
a slight haze, scarcely noticed, when looking at objects "Avithin a 
mile or two, hides much of beauty in the distance. The wind on 
the hill is often cold and strong. The best time for going to the hill 
is about nine o'clock on a clear morning. 

The following are the directions and distances of various points : 

Distance. Directions. 

The Farallones 35 miles W. 

Pt. Bonita Light House fH " Nearly W. 

Alcatraz l| " N. N. W. 

Yerba Buena Island 2i " E. 

Saucelito 5^ " N. W. 

Red Rock 9 " N. 

Two Brothers 11 " N. 

Two Sisters 13 " N. 

Fort Point 3i " W. 

Oakland 7" " E. 

Monte Diablo 29 " N. N. E. 

Tamalpais 12 " N. W. 

Monte Dia})lo and Tamalpais are the two most prominent peaks 
visible from the hill. 

Mr. Rupert says : "A good view of the city and its splendid sur- 
roundings can be had from several of the hills, especially from 
Telegraph Hill and California Street Hill. From these heights the 
traveler sees at a glance the whole city ; a forest of houses, with 
domes and steeples towering al)Ove them ; the busy wharves and the 
Bay, the largest, tlie most commodious and the safest harbor in 
America. Alcatraz and Goat Islands are near by. The former is 
not a smiling island. On the contrary, it frowns, and at times its 



80 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

thunders awaken the echoes of the surrounding mountains, for it is 
fortified and garrisoned by United States troops. * * * The 
beautiful city of Oakland, the Brooklyn of San Francisco, the vil- 
lages of Berkeley and Alameda are there in full view, cast, just 
across the bay, some seven or eight miles distant, smiling under a 
blue and cloudless heaven ; and almost under the shadows of a range 
of treeless mountains, green in winter and yellow in summer, that 
frame the panorama at whatever points of the compass the eyes may 
be directed." 

San Francisco at Ni^ht. — A consequence of the topographical 
situation of San Francisco, on hills which enclose several amphi- 
I theatres, is that the city, as seen from various points, presents a 
<most brilliant appearance at night. The best view is found on the 
corner of California and Jones Streets looking to the southward, 
eastward and westward, looking over many square miles intersected 
by lines of street lamps. The other portions of Russian Hill, north 
of California Street ; and Telegraph Hill, have similar views, but less 
extensive. As seen from the bay, when approaching from Oakland 
at night, San Francisco presents a brilliant spectacle, of which Mr. 
Rupert says : * ' Your eyes seem riveted on something in the distance 
ahead. It is a strange, novel, wierd, fascinating sight, that some- 
thing. It is a mountain looming out of the water some three miles 
in length, and all ablaze with lights running upwards in close parallel 
lines, and losing themselves in the cloudless horizon above, among 
twinkling stars. Silvery stars above and golden stars below — splen- 
did contrast ! This miniature firmament profusely decked with 
stars of gold, and seemingly floating over the waters of the bay, is 
San Francisco, sleeping." 

A Treeless City. —On account of the poverty of the soil on the 
peninsula, and the strength of the winds, large indigenous trees 
never grew on the San Francisco peninsula within 15 miles of the 
Golden Gate. Scrub oaks, more like bushes than trees, were abun- 
dant, but most of those have been cut down, and little has been 
done to find substitutes for them. The average temperature in mid- 
summer being unpleasantly cool, the people want all the sunshine 
obtainable, and dislike trees which obstruct the solar rays. 
Moreover, trees are costly because of the lack of rain in the summer, 
and the expense and trouble of irrigation and, therefore, the resi- 
dence streets are without those beautifully shaded avenues seen in 
other cities. The most common varieties are the eucalyptus, the 
Australian acacia in many varieties, the Monterey and Lawson 
cypresses, the Monterey and Norfolk Island pines, and various 
dwarf palms. Frequently when they become large enough to cast 
much shade, they are cut down to make room for smaller ones. 
Horse chestnut, linden, maple, Lombardy poplar, silver poplar and 
elm of eastern cities are, if not lacking, very rare here. 

The glory of San Francisco's vegetation, is in her ornamental gar- 
dens, green, luxuriant and bright, with flowers throughout the 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 81 

year. Largo, blooming, sub-tropical shrubs, such as cannot l)o cul- 
tivated in the open air, in places where the temperature i.s often 
fully 10^ below the freezing point, are here abundant; including 
fuchsias, brugmansias, heliotropes, French roses, flowering verbenas, 
and gei-aniums ; the calia lily, though of a diiierent class, deserves 
to be mentioned with them. Many of the flowers of New York and 
Illinois are rare in California, and most of our flowers cannot live 
there, in the open air, through the winter. 

A Great Seaport. — San Francisco is a great seaport, sending 
many large cargoes to distant countries, receiving others in return, 
and almost monopolizing the foreign commerce of the coast north 
of Mexico. Every ocean steamer line touching our continent, be- 
tween Sitka and Panama, has its terminus here. She is the only point 
which the traveler cannot avoid when passing round the globe by 
regular lines of steam communication. She is the chief centre of the 
railroads west of the Rocky Mountains. Her exports, including 
treasure, exceed $100,000,000, annually. The bulk of the precious 
metals turned out by the mines of California and Nevada since 1848, 
amounting in value to nearly .$2,000,000,000, has been forwarded to 
San Francisco. Much of it has been produced by mines owned here, 
and it has, therefore, helped to enrich the city. The most active of all 
stock markets was that in which the shares of the Nevada mines 
were sold from 1871 to 1877, while the Comstock Lode was in its 
most productive condition. San Francisco has one-fiftli of the 
population and one-third of the wealth, and owns most of the bank- 
ing capital, rich mines and railroads of the Coast. She counts more 
than 50 millionaires among her citizens ; she has a large share of the 
manufacturing industry of the slope; and has the only sugar refiner- 
ies, paint mills, glass works, brass foundries, and the largest rolling 
mills, foundries, machine shops, woolen mills and factories for the 
production of clothing, shoes, gloves, harness, cigars, furniture, 
carriages and woodenware. Her vicinity is more densely populated, 
and yields more valuable agricultural produce, in proportion to area, 
than any other part of the slope. \ 

A Pleasure Kesort. — A metropolis is necessarily, to some extent, 
a pleasure resort. It combines many attractions which cannot be 
found in small towns. Within a little space, it has a large number , 
of men eminently successful as bankers, underwriters, merchants, ' 
lawyers, editors, manufacturers and contractors. It is a center of 
intellectual and fashionable society, of nmsical, dramatic, and pic- 
torial art, and of educational influences. It has commodious hotels, 
in which the stranger can live with comfort, and public amusements 
to occupy his attention every evening in the year. In all these res- 
pects, San Francisco is not inferior to other metropolitan cities. Her 
cool summer attracts those who dislike intense heat; its warm win- 
ter attracts those who seek a refuge from intense cold. Extensive 
portions of our slope are so wild, that the metropolis appears the 



82 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

more brilliant by contrast with them. As a pleasure resort, no city 
on our continent is entitled to so high a position. 

There are no nationalities in Europe, and few in the world 
without representatives in San Francisco. Her inhabitants are 
not marked by the staid habits, grave demeanor and cautious reserve 
of older communities. The enterprise and intelligence of many 
races are blended among her population, and the dullard, the sloth- 
ful, and the faint-hearted seldom find here an abiding place. There 
is probably no city in the Union, where so many men, starting in 
life with no capital, but their own l)rains and industry, have achieved 
a marked success ; and there are few better fields for honest well- 
directed effort, than can be found to-day in the metropolis of this 
coast. The wages of labor are still 15 to 30 per cent, higher than 
on the other side of the continent, and 50 to 100 per cent, higher 
than in European cities ; while the cost of living is lower than in 
either. There are few parts of the world where money can be earned 
so easily, or will purchase so much. 

The Streets. — The visitor lands in San Francisco at the foot of 
Market street, which runs about north-east and south-west, and is 
the dividing line between the two main 'systems of streets. The 
other streets cross at right angles, and are numbered from the water 
front, or from Market street, 100 numbers being assigned to each 
block. There are numerous avenues, but most of them are in por- 
tions of the city which are not j^et built vp. The principal ones 
are Montgomery avenue, which connects Montgomery sti-eet with 
the northern portion of the city, and Van Ness avenue, 125 feet 
wide, and containing some very handsome residences, extending 
from Market, just beyond Eleventh street, in a northerly direction 
towards Black Point. The principal wholesale houses of tlie city 
are north of Market street, on Sansome, Battery, Front and Davis, 
and the streets that intersect them at right angles; the territory 
between First street, and the water front, south of Market, is 
mainly occupied by iron foundries, machine shops, planing mills and 
lumber yards. Most of the banks, insurance companies and offices 
are located on Montgomery or California streets, and a few on San- 
some street. The principal retail stores are on Kearny street, the 
southern portion of Montgomery street, and the part of Market 
street, lying between Second and Fifth. 

Architecture. — The business portions of San Francisco contain 
many handsome and imposing structures, and, year by year, the 
wooden buildings, that form the landmarks of earlier days, are being 
crowded out by substantial brick and iron edifices. The residence 
quarters, however, are occupied almost exclusively by frame houses, 
the mild climate and the liability to earthquakes giving them the 
preference over any other description of dwelling. On Van Ness 
avenue, and the streets lying to the west of it, the visitor may see 
a larger number of handsome frame residences than he will find else- 
where, within the same space, in any city in the world. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 83 

One feature that the visitor will notice in the prevailing style of 
architecture, is the multiplicity of bay windows, which are to be 
seen in almost every private house; and, in many buildings, as 
the Palace Hotel, stud the entire front, adding much to the com- 
fort of the inmates, if marring somewhat the external appearance of 
the edifice. A large proportion of the permanent population live at 
hotels or in furnished apartments, and one bay window at least, with 
a sunny aspect, is considered essential in rooms occupied by ladies. 
In the principal streets of other large cities, most of the sunshine is 
excluded by walls of brick and mortar, but this is not the case in 
San Francisco. The sidewalks are mostly of plank, but there are 
many of asphaltum, and not a few of cut or artificial stone. Stone 
sidewalks arc rapidly coming into use in the business portions and 
fashionable residence quai'ters of the city. The streets on which the 
heavy business teaming is done are paved with cobbles or rectangu- 
lar blocks of basalt ; most of the others are planked or macadamized. 

Notable Buildings. — Among the notable buildings of San Fran- 
cisco are the following : 

New City Hall, S. E. corner of McAllister and Larkin streets. 

Old City Hall, S. E. corner Kearny and Washington. 

U. S. Mint, corner Fifth and INIission. 

National Treasury, Commercial near Montgomery. 

Main Post-office, corner of Washington and Battery. 

U. S. Appraiser's Building, corner of Washington and Sansome. 

Palace Hotel, Market and New Montgomery. 

Occidental Hotel, Montgomery and Bush. 

Lick House, Montgomery and Sutter. 

Baldwin Hotel, Market and Powell. 

Grand Hotel, Market and New Montgomery. 

Russ House, Montgomery and Bush. 

Brooklyn Hotel, Bu^h, near Sansome. 

American Exchange, Sansome, near California. 

California Theatre, IBush, near Kearny. 

Standard Theatre, Bush, near Montgomery. 

Bush Street Theatre, Bush, near Montgomery. 

Grand Opera House, Mission, near Third. 

Tivoli, Eddy, near Powell. 

Winter Garden, Stockton, near Post. 

Vienna Garden, Stockton and Sutter. 

Mercantile Library, Bush, near Sansome. 

Mechanics' Institute, Post, near Montgomery. 

Odd Fellows' Hall, Montgomery, near California. 

Free Library, Bush, near Kearny. 

Law Library, 27 Montgomery Block. 

French Li])rary, 120 Sutter Street. 

San Francisco Verein, Sutter and Dupont. 

Mechanics' Pavilion, Larkin and Hayes. 

Hammam Baths, 1 1 Dupout street. 



84 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

Safe Deposit Building, Montgomery and California. 

Art School, 430 Pine street. 

Bohemian Club, 430 Pine. 

Union Club, California and Montgomery, 

Pacific Club, Montgomery and Bush. 

State Mining Bureau, Sutter, near Kearny. 

Railroad Building, Fourth and Townsend. 

California Market, California, near Kearny. 

Fish Market, Clay, near Sansome. 

Phelan Building, Market and Dupont. 

Bancroft's Building, Market, near Third. 

Leland Stanford's Residence, California and Powell. 

Charles Crocker's Residence, California and Taylor. 

Mrs. D. D. Colton's Residence, California and Taylor. 

Mrs. Mark Hopkin's Residence, California and Mason. 

Mission Church, Dolores, near Sixteenth. 

Stock Exchange, Pine, near Montgomery. 

Wells, Fargo & Co's Express, Sansome, near California. 

Unitarian Church, Geary, near Stockton. 

Calvary Church (Presbyterian), Stockton and Powell. 

Trinity Church (Episcopalian), Post and Powell. 

Synagogue Emauu-El, Sutter, near Powell. 

St. Ignatius Church (Catholic), Hayes and Van Ness. 

St. Patrick's Church (Catholic), Mission near Third. 

Hop Wo Joss House, 751 Clay street. 

Ning Wong Joss House, 230 Montgomery avenue. 

Kong Chow Joss House, 512 Pine. 

Chinese Theatre, 816 Washington. 

Chinese Theatre, G29 Jackson. 

Chinese Merchants' Exchange, 739 Sacramento. 

Cliff House, Geary and Beach. 

Fort Point, Narrows of Golden Gate. 

Other notable places or structures in the city are, the Oakland 
Ferry Landing, at the foot of Market street, (the boats for Oakland, 
Alameda, Saucelito and San Rafael, all have their slips together); 
the Pacific Mail Wharf, at the foot of Braunan street; the Long 
Bridge, from the Potrero to South San Francisco; and the Stone 
Dry Dock, 450 feet long and 31 feet deep, at Hunter's Point. 

5lillt. — The United States Mint, fronting 161 feet on Mission and 
217 feet on Fifth street, is one of the handsomest public buildings 
in San Francisco. It is built in the Doric style of architecture, with 
massive fluted columns at the entrance. The basement and steps 
are of Californian granite, and the upper walls of freestone, obtained 
from Newcastle Island, in the Gulf of Georgia. The machineiy is 
of the latest pattern, and is equal in efficiency to any used in the 
United States. When working to its full capacity, the Mint can 
coin nearly 1,000,000 ounces per month. For the year 1878, the 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 85 

total coinage was $50,180,000. Visitors are admitted daily between 
9 and 12 a, m. 

New City Hall. — The New City Hall on Park avenue, McAllister 
and Larkin streets, is not yet completed, although work was com- 
menced on it in 187 1, and over ."^S, 000,000 have already been expended 
on the biiilding. Tlie cost of the entire structure is estimated at 
$4,500,000. The foundation which is of broken stone and cement, 
G feet in thickness, cost $000,000. When completed, the main 
entrance will front on a wide avenue, leading into Market, opposite 
Eighth street. The main tower is over 200 feet high. 

Hotels. — The lirst-class hotels in San Francisco are the Palace, 
the Occidental, the Baldwin, the Lick and the Grand. The Palace 
and Grand Hotels, located on the south side of Market street, 
and on opposite sides of New Montgomery street, are connected 
by a covered bridge. The Grand does not, at present, furnish board 
to its patrons, and many of the guests take their meals at the Palace 
which, besides its large dining-rooms, contains a restaurant where 
meals are served to order. The Palace is the largest hotel in the 
world, and cost, with all its equipments and furniture, about 
$7,000,000. It is 7 stories in height, fronts 275 feet on Market 
street, with a depth of 350 feet, contains 755 rooms above the 
ground floor, and is capable of accommodating 1,200 guests. The 
building is solid, massive and simple in its style of architecture. 
More than 30,000,000 bricks were used in its construction. 

Safe Deposit. — Another building that may interest the visitor 
is that of the Safe Deposit Company, on the south-east corner of 
Montgomery and California streets, in the basement. Here are steel 
vaults of burglar proof metal, and inclosed in fire-proof casing, con- 
taining 4,000 small safes, built in tiers, each one being furnished 
with a combination lock. Surrounding the vault is a corridor, where 
men keep guard day and night, and communicate every half hour 
with the headquarters of the police. Here travelers, stopping for a 
short time in the city, can deposit money, jewelry, securities or 
valuable papers, at a very moderate charge by the day, week or 
month. Packages containing valuables, can be left over for a single 
night at a charge of 50 cents. 

Stock Exchange. — To many strangers, one of the most interest- 
ing and amusing experiences in San Francisco is a visit to the Stock 
Exchange. When mining stocks are lively, whether they are going 
up or down, the conduct of the brokers seems to verge on lunacy. 
Their movements, gesticulations and shouts resemble the fury of a 
violent mob more than the conduct of sharp business men engaged 
in making important pecuniary contracts. It is difficult for the 
visitor to distinguish, amid the babel of sounds and the excited 
gesticulations of the bulls and bears, a .siiigle word that is uttered, 
and he will wonder how the caller manages, amid the uproar, to note 
each transaction with such accuracy that, though thousands of shares 
may have changed hands, when the list of sales is afterwards read off 



86 CE>'TIIAL CALIFORNIA. 

by the clerk, the caller's decision is seldom disi^ited. Around the oval 
is a walnut railing, on the outer side of which on the main Hoor, are 
seats for spectators who pa}' for the privilege, and are usually oc- 
cupied by persons who want to buy or sell stock. In 187G, when 
the mining stock excitement ran high, it cost §30,000 to be admitted 
to membership in this exchange. 

The building was erected at a cost of nearly $900,000, and is over 
80 feet in height, with a cupola rising 85 feet above the roof. The 
front is composed of alternate layers of dark and Jight colored 
granite ; and the entrance is flanked with pillars of polished granite, 
and floored with English tiles ; the walls being wainscoted with 
marble. The visitor passes through elaborately carved doors of 
walnut that cost 81,000 each, into the vestibule, on the right of 
which is a committee room, and on the left, the members' private 
room. The board room is wainscoted witii black Belgian marble, 
above which is a panel of gray Tennessee marble, and above this 
again a border of carved primavera wood. The caller's desk is at 
the farther end of the room, facing the entrance, and in the center 
is an oval space where the brokers buy and sell, as each stock is 
named by the caller. 

^'ob Hill. — A ride of less than 5 minutes, from the terminus of 
the California street cars, and the expenditure of 5 cents, will bring 
the tourist within sight of the 3 largest and most costly residences 
in San Francisco, the property of the railroad magnates, who con- 
trol the Central Pacific. The sum expended in their erection, with 
all the improvements and furniture, is probably not short of 
80,000,000. Alighting from the car at Taylor street, the visitor 
may see, in the course of an hour's stroll, the principal edifices on 
Xob Hill, while enjoying a view that presents some very striking 
features. They are all wooden buildings, and are probably among 
the largest frame residences in the world. 

On the north-west corner of Califoi-nia and Taylor streets, is the 
site of the Crocker mansion. The grounds are enclosed by a low 
wall of Penryu granite, surmounted by iron railings. A double 
flight of polished granite steps, 18 feet wide, leads up to a portico 
with Romanesque frieze and pediment, supported by fluted columns. 
In the picture gallery is a frieze which illustrates the progress of 
art, history and science, and many works of noted masters. 

The mansion of the late Mark Hopkins is on the south-east corner 
of California and Mason streets. The gateway and doorway are 
flanked with pillars of polished granite. In the grounds are hot- 
houses, arbors, grassy lawns, fountains, and almost every decoration 
that art can invent or wealth supply. At the top of the house is an 
observatory 1-tO feet in height, and adjoining tlie breakfast room is 
a conservatoiy containing some nu-e tropical plants. 

The Stanford mansion, on the south-west corner of California and 
Powell streets, adjoins the Hopkins residence. There are other 
very expensive, and some elegant buildings on Xob HilL The house 



» CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 87 

l)uilt Ijy the late (General Colton, on the north-east corner of Cali- 
fornia iiud Taylor streets, is admired on account oi the neat style of 
its architecture. 

The dwellings of the millionaires, on Nob Hill and in San Mateo 
County, contain many interesting works of art, but are not open, 
as some of tiio European palaces are, to strangers. 

ChurcllCS. — The handsomest and largest church building of San 
Francisco is the Jesuit College of St. Ignatius, occupying the block 
between Van Ness, Franklin, Hayes and Grove streets. A large 
part of the structure is used for educational purposes. The churcli 
hall 'Is 200 feet long and will accommodate C,000 people. Over the 
altar is a large oil picture by Tojetti, representing St. Ignatius 
Loyola at his reception in Heaven. The spires are 275 feet higli, 
the highest in California. St. Patrick's (Catholic) Church on Mis- 
sion street, near Third, has a cliime of bells presented by Peter 
Donahue, and the largest organ in California. St. Mary's (Catholic) 
Cathedral has a picture of the Immaculate Conception by Capatti, 
not a work of great merit. Tlie Synagogue Emanu El, on Sutter 
street, near Powell, is one of the finest buildings of its kind on our 
continent. The Unitarian Church, on Geary street, has a fine in- 
terior. Starr King's grave is in the church-yard, and his monument 
is visible from the street. 

The oldest building in San Francisco, and the one most notable, 
considered historically, is the Mission Church, on the corner of 
Dolores and Sixteenth streets. The mission was founded Octobei- 
8th, 1776, and we have no record of the time wdien the structure 
was commenced or finished, but the date of completion w^as probably 
not earlier than 1786. The adobe walls are 3 feet thick, resting on 
a low foundation of rough stone, not laid in mortar ; and the roof 
was covered with heavy semi-cylindrical tiles. The floor was of 
earth, except near the altar, and the entire structure was rude in 
character. The walls remain, a shingle roof gives better protection 
against the rains than the tiles ever did, and the church is still used 
for jjui'poses of worship. Adjoining it is the old Mission Cemetery, 
not used for purposes of interment since 1858. Most of the inscrip- 
tions are in Spanish, and among the tombs are those of James P. 
Casey, an ex-convict frojn the New Vork penitentiary, at Sing Sing, 
executed in 1856 by the Vigilance Committee for murder. He was 
one of a gang of unscrupulous ballot-box stufl'ers, who disgraced San 
Francisco from 1852 to 1856. His monument prays for mercy to his 
"persecutors," but does not suggest his own crimes. The grave of 
Don Luis Argiiello, the first governor of California, under the Mexi- 
can dominion, is also here. 

Clubs and Libraries. — San Francisco has seven public libraries, 
with about 200,000 volumes in the aggregate. The principal of 
these are the Free, the Law, the Mercantile, the Mechanics, the 
Odd Fellows, the San Francisco Verein, and the French. The lar- 
gest is the Mercantile, with 50,000 volumes. There are half a dozen 



88 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

clubs, including the Pacific, the Union, the Bohemian (including 
many journalists and artists), the San Francisco Verein (German), 
the La Ligue Nationale Franoaise (French), the Society of California 
Pioneers, (membership is limited to those who arrived in California 
before January 1st, 1850, and their descendents), the Society of Ter- 
ritorial Pioneers (membership limited to those who came before 
September 9th, 1850,) and the various German Tumvereins. The 
City has German, French, British, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, 
Scandinavian, Swiss, and Dalmatian societies of mutual aid, and 
many of them render assistance to poor immigrants of their respec- 
tive nationalities. 

San Francisco Drives. — Among the drives in San Francisco 
most worthy of attention are the following: 

First— The Golden Gate Park. 

/S'ecoTicZ.— The Hill Park. 

Third. — The Cliff House, which can be reached either through the 
Park or by way of Geary street. 

Fourth. — The beach, accessible by Geary street or through the 
Golden Gate Park. This beach is three miles long, and is in the 
best condition for driving at low tide, wet sand being much more 
compact than is dry. 

Fifth. — The Mission Pass road, leading from the mouth of Merced 
Creek (the outlet of Lake Merced,) eastward to Market street, 
across the hills, and surmounting the ridge at Mission Pass which 
is 600 feet high, and has a good view of the city and bay. After 
leaving the ocean, this road, for nearly a mile, follows Merced 
>eek, and a mile and a half from the beach is the Ocean House, 
near the bank of Lake Merced, which is shaped like a V, one arm 
being a mile, and the other a mile and a half long, the average 
width being about a sixth of a mile. The water is fresh, and when 
the reservoirs of the Spring Valley Company, in San Mateo County, 
threatened to run short, has been pumped up to furnish part of the 
water supply of San Francisco. 

Sixth. — Lone Mountain Cemetery. 

Seventh. — The Alms House road. This leads southward from the 
middle of the Golden Gate Park, by way of the Lake Honda Reser- 
voir, and south-eastward to the Mission Pass road. 

Eighth. — The road from the Golden Gate Park south-westward to 
the Ocean House. This road has no attractions and part of it has 
been covered with drifting sand. 

Ninth. — The Presidio Eeservation roads. 

Tenth. — Along the water front, from Powell street to the South 
San Francisco Dry Dock, including a visit to the Piolling Mill at 
Potrero Point. A Rolling Mill, for a person who has never seen 
one, is a very interesting sight. 

Eleventh. — A drive to the top of Mt. San Bruno, ascending at the 
north-western corner of the mountain. The summit (seven miles 
from the New City Hall in San Mateo County, and 1,325 feet high). 



CENTRAL CALirORXIA. 89 

cannot be reached with a wagon, but the distance to walk is not 
more than a quarter of a mile. There is no shade on the mountain, 
and the chief attractions are its elevation and accessibility. From 
the Baden station on the Southern Pacific Eailroad, the distance to 
the mountain top is about two miles. 

The most attractive drives in adjacent counties near enough to be 
enjoyed without absence from the city over night are Pilarcitos 
Eeservoir, San Mateo Canyon, the vicinity of Belmont, the vicinity 
of Menlo Park, and La Honda, in San Mateo County; Penitencia 
Canyon, and Pacific Congress Springs in Santa Clara; Berkeley, 
Wild Cat Canyon, the Fish Ranch, San Pablo Canyon, Piedmont, 
the circuit of Piedmont Hill, Moraga Valley, Haywards, the 
Laundry Farm and the Oakland Cemetery, in Alameda County; 
Alhambra Valley in Contra Costa County; Blithedale, White's Hill, 
Nicasio, by the Petaluma Road, and Ross Valley, by the hill from 
San Rafael, in Marin County ; Napa Soda Springs, in Napa Couiity, 
and the Sonoma vineyards in Sonoma County. Many of these places 
are accessible to good walkers, who leave the city in the mornmg 
and return in the evening. Among the points within reach from 
San Francisco, without staying away more than one night, are Mt. 
Diablo, Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Tamalpais, (by horseback,) Mt. St. 
Helena, (by horseback,) the Magnetic Springs, Pescadero, Howell 
Mountain, Pope Valley, Boliuas, and the petrified forest of Sonoma. 
Of these drives in adjacent counties, mention will be made hereafter. 

San Francisco Picnic Grounds,— The places preferred for Pic- 
nics by the San Francisco people,- are Woodward's Gardens, the 
Harbor View Garden and the Golden Gate Park, and the Ocean 
Beach in the city; Badgev'sPark, Shell Mound Park, Berkeley, Pied- 
mont, and Strawberry Canyon, in Alameda County; Fairfax Park, 
Laurel Grove, Lagunitas Station and Saucelito Canyon, in Marin 
County; and Belmont, in San Mateo County. Woodward's Gardens, 
Harbor View, Badger's Park and Shell Mound Park, are usually 
crowded on Sunday in the summer, so that quiet people prefer to go 
there on week days. On pleasant Sundays in the summer, the Lone 
Mountain Cemetery, the Golden Gate Park and the Alameda Baths 
attract large numbers of visitors. 

Golden (ilate Park. — San Francisco has several public parks, 
the largest being the Golden Gate Park, three miles long and half a 
mile wide, with an area of 1,013 acres. It extends from the ocean 
beach eastward to Stanyan street; and from that street to Baker, 
two-thirds of a mile, there is an avenue 500 feet wdde. This is one 
of the largest city parks. The New York Central Park has 862 
acres; Fairmount Park, at Philadelphia, 2,706; Druid Hill Park, at 
Baltimore, 550; Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 550; Hyde Park, London, 
389 ; Regent's Park, 473 ; and the Bois de Boulogne, near Paris, 
2, 158 acres. There are several large English Parks not far from Lon- 
don. Cincinnati and St. Louis have no large parks. The impiove- 
ment of the Golden Gate Park was commenced in 1874, and in the 



00 CENTKAL CALir; IINTA. 

last eight years about $650,000 were spent in its improvement. The 
greater portion of its area was bare sand dune, and to fix the drifting 
sands, to obtain good soil, and to make trees grow, under the strong 
breezes of the Golden Gate, were not easy tasks. A very respect- 
able success "Nvas made, and San Francisco can boast that, in some 
respects, her park is unequaled. The mountain surroundings are 
beautiful. The Peaks west of the Mission aw only a mile distant, 
and are 92o feet high. Strawberry Hill, within the limits of the 
Park, has an elevation of 426 feet; and Lone Mountain, in the vicin- 
ity of 468. There are places in the Park from which Mt. Diablo, 
Mt. Tamalpais, and the Golden Gate can be seen. The Park fronts 
on the Ocean for half a mile, and the beach for a length of two miles, 
is one of the most attractive of all beaches. The surf there is always 
beautiful and often grand. 

The drives in the Park are numerous and in excellent condition. 
They are hard, smooth, free from dust in summer, and from mud in 
winter. In laying them out, the natural umlulations of the ground 
were used with much skill, so that they should wind about, with 
gentle ascents and descents, as well as level stretches, and obtain a 
succession, of pleasing landscapes. Trees, mostly eucalyptus, ^Mon- 
terey cypress and Monterey pine, have been planted out in large 
numbers, and if their growth has not been so rapid or beautiful, as 
in the fertile valleys of the State, it has, nevertheless, done much to 
beautify the place, and give shelter against the winds. 

Xear the eastern end of the Park, where nature had provided a 
small area of fertile soil, in what was formerly known as Sans Souci 
Valley, are a number of plats planted with flowers and ornamental 
plants, with intervening patches of grass and clumps of trees. Be- 
tween 250,000 and 300,000 trees or shrubs are now in various stages 
of growth. A considerable portion of the ground has been graded 
and sown with suitable grasses; and by the aid of plentiful irriga- 
tion, tine grass plats and flower beds have been formed. There are 
also several grottoes, arbors, and artificial mounds, and numerous 
rustic seats. 

On a plateau about a quarter of a mile from the entrance of the 
Park, is a conservatory 250 feet in length, the main attractions of 
which are the orchid house, which is not yet fully stocked, but con- 
tains some handsome plants, and the fernery, where is a fine speci- 
men of the Victoria Pegia or Amazon Water Lily, some of its leaves 
being 6 feet across. There are many miles of drive and walk laid 
out in the Park, and the main avenues are kept well watered 
ever}'- day during the dry season. The favorite drive leads down to 
the Pacific ocean, and brings the visitor in sight of the sea within less 
than a mile from the entrance. The Geary street cars, which start 
at intervals of 3 minutes from the junction of Geary, Market and 
Kearny streets, will convey the visitor to the Park in about 20 
minutes for a 5 cent fare. Southward two blocks from the eastern 
end of the wide portion of Park avenue io the Hill Park, which is 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 91 

lialf a mile long from north-east to south-west, and a (juarter of a 
mile wide, with an area of al>out 160 acres. An elevation of 570 
feet at the highest point, commands an extensive view of the city, 
hay and ocean, gives it some attractions not to be found in any 
other i.ublic park. 

Presidio Keservation. — Fronting on the Golden Gate for 2 
miles on each side of Fort Point, and extending southward nearly 
2 miles from the Point, with an area of about 1500 acres, is the 
Presidio Reservation, the property of the National Government, 
established for military purposes. Presidio is the Spanish name for 
a principal military station; and near Fort Point, Spain, and after- 
wards Mexico, maintained a presidio, and the name has been pre- 
served by the Americans. The Presidio Barracks have the largest 
military force on the western slope of the United States. Fort Point, 
situated at the narrowest portion of the Golden Gate, is a brick 
building, supplied with many heavy guns. Gen. McDowell, com- 
manding the Pacific Military Division of the National Army, has 
made fine roads through the Presidio Reservation, planted trees, 
and commenced other impi-ovements, so as to convert it into a pub- 
lic park, which, in time, may rival the Golden Gate Park in its at- 
tractions. 

One of the pleasantest walks in the suburbs of the city, is through 
the military reservation of the Presidio. Taking the California 
street cars at the intersection of Kearny and California streets, the 
visitor should ride out to the terminus, and from that point the road 
leads off to the right toAvards the Presidio. After ascending a small 
hill, he will come in sight of the Pacific ocean in two directions, 
and will obtain a fine panoramic view of the bay and its encircling 
hills. At the foot of the hill three roads meet. The one to the 
right leads back to San Francisco, and after passing through the 
eastern gate of the Presidio, at a distance of about a mile from the 
starting point, you meet the cars that run to the foot of Montgomery 
street. The two roads to the left (at the foot of the hill), meet each 
other at a sharp angle, and lead through the barracks, now occupied 
by the First Artillery, out towards Fort Point. The upper one will 
take the visitor through the officers' quarters, near which the band 
of the regiment, one of the finest in the service, plays everj" week 
day afternoon at 2 r. m., except on Thursdays and Saturdays. If 
time permit, the walk may be extended a distance of about a mile 
from the barracks, to Fort Point, with its large fortress of brick, 
earthworks, and fine view of the Golden Gate. 

Point San Jose. — Another pleasant and shorter stroll in the 
ncighljorhood of the city, is through the reservation of Point San 
Jose, which can be reached by the cars that lea\e the foot of Mont- 
gomery aven\ie. The visitor should stop at Polk street, and from 
this point the path leads off to the right towards the reservation. 
After passing thi-ough the entrance, close to which are the Pioneer 
and Mission Mills, the largest woolen factory west of the Mis- 



92 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

soiiri Ptiver, tlie road skirts the grounds of the officers' quarters, 
at the gate of which are a couple of Spanish guns of very antiquated 
pattern. A few yards further you reach a fort, near which are 3 
15-inch Rodman guns, the largest ever cast in the United States for 
general use, the exceptions being a few of 20-inch bore, made experi- 
mentally. They weigh about 25 tons, require a charge of 100 pounds 
of powder, and throw a solid projectile of 450 pounds, or a shell of 432 
pounds. The site commauds a very fine view of the bay; and the 
\)and of the Second Artillery plays at the officers' quarters every 
Thursday at 2.30 p. m. Returning towards the entrance, the road 
leads off to the right to the western boundary of the reservation, a 
short distance from which j'ou again meet the Montgomery avenue 
cars, or, by following the line of the cars for a short distance in a 
westerly direction, the walk may be extended through the Presidio. 

Cliff House. — One of the chief attractions and most famous 
places of California is the ClifT House, situated at Point Lobos, or 
the South Head, at tlie entrance of the Golden Gate. The house is 
a hotel built on a cliff at the edge of the ocean, and perhaps 100 feet 
above its level, Within 200 yards from the cliff, are 7 rocky islets 
projecting from the sea, and tiiese, or the 4 nearest the Cliff House, 
are covered every summer day with sea lions, which are near enough 
to be seen and heard distinctlj'-, for they keep up a continuous bark- 
ing. The animal is a large seal, sometimes reaching a length of 11 
feet, and is very active in the water. Thousands of them swim- 
ming in the water and climbing over the rocks offer a singular 
sight, not to be seen elsewhere so near a city. They could easily 
be shot from the shore, but the law protects them; though the 
fishermen complain that the sea lions greatly reduce the supply 
of salmon. The name of the sea lion in Spanish is loho marino (lit- 
erally, sea wolf), and the Spanish name of the place was La Punta 
de los Lohos Marlnos (the Point of the Sea Lions). 

The Cliff House is at the end of Geary street, called also Point 
Lobos avenue, and the Cliff House road. The Geary street cable 
road connects with a steam railroad which runs to the Golden Gate. 
When the steam car reaches First avenue, it turns to go southward 
to the park. At this bend, persons going to the ocean leave the 
steam car and take a horse car which runs out to within a mile of 
the Cliff House, and they can walk the remainder of the distance, 
or take an omnibus. "Very near the Cliff House the beach com- 
mences, and half a mile southward is the Golden Gate Park. On a 
clear day there is an unbroken view from the Cliff House of the 
Pacific Ocean for 30 miles, Avith the Farallone Islands lying low on 
the western horizon, and a fine sweep of the coast line both north 
and south, with the promontory of Point Reyes stretcliing away 
towards the north. Attached to the house are long sheds, where 
horses and buggies are taken in charge by a hostler. The visitor 
can take lunch at the Cliff House, and afterwards drive back to San 
Fraucisco, by way of Grolden Gate Park, wliicJi fronts on the sea 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 93 

beach, or he uicay return along the beach as far as the Ocean House, 
and return by way of the JNlission Pass or the Alms House. 

Woodward's Oarden. — This favorite resort occupies a space of 
G acres, on Mission street, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth, and 
can be reached by several lines of cars. The charge for admission 
is 25 cents for adults, and 10 cents for children. This garden has 
many strong attractions, and as a cheap place of amusement for the 
multitude, has no equal in the United States. It includes a men- 
agerie with grizzly bears, Californian panthers, coyotes, lions, tigers, 
kangaroos, and many other wild animals ; a pond of sea-lions, which 
should be seen while getting their afternoon meal ; an excellent 
aquarium; a conservatory with many tropical plants; a pavilion 
used for musical and theatrical performances on Saturday and Sun- 
day afternoons, and occasionally for dancing and roller skating ; a 
gymnasium; a picture gallery; a library; numerous amusements 
for children ; a large variety of rare plants ; and a restaurant. 

San Francisco Cemeteries. — There are eight public burial 
grounds in San Francisco ; of which three belong to the Hebrews, 
one each to the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Catholics, one to the City 
(used mainly for Cliiuamen and paupers), and the Lone Mountain 
Cemetery, as it is generally known, though the name adopted by the 
Company managing it, is Laurel Hill. Lone jNIountain is a hill near 
by, but not within the limits of the tract. This cemetery, about 
two miles west from the corner of Montgomery and Post streets, is 
on hilly ground. The soil is sandy, and 30 j^ears ago was covered 
with evergreen scrub oak trees, many of which still remain, and 
contribute much to its beauty. The grounds have been laid off, and 
the lots improved, with great expense and fine taste. Costly and 
elegant vaults and monuments, and plats covered with flowers and 
ornamental plants, in excellent condition, are numerous and varied. 
From the higher points, views of the City and Golden Gate can be 
obtained. The vault and monuments of W. C. Ilalston, M. S. 
Latham, John P. Jones, W. F. Babcock, D. C. Broderick, Dr. 
E. S. Cooper, Gen. E. D. Baker, N. Luning, Horace Hawes, John 
Young, Judge Lyons, Thomas H. Williams, Charles McLaughlin, 
Thomas H. Selby, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer, Hiram Pearson, J. W. 
Tucker, Dr. H. H. Toland, \Vm. Pierce, Sisson, and Patten, are a 
few among a multitude worthy of attention. Sir Charles Dilke ex- 
pressed an opinion, common among travelers, when he said Lone 
Mountain is "the loveliest of all American cemeteries." 

The visitor to Lone Mountain may be interested in seeing the 
Yerba Biiena (Spanish for good herb), a kind of creeping mint, from 
which the village of Yerba Buena (changed in January, 1847, to San 
Francisco), obtained its name. 

The Catholic (Calv'ary) Cemetery, adjoining the Lone Mountain 
Cemetery on the south, and a little farther east, in general appear- 
ance is much inferior to the Lone Mountain, but has some very 
large and castly monuments, well wortJiy of a visit. The vault of 



94 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

W. S. O'Brien (of Flood & O'Brien) is of polished gi'auite, elaborately 
carved. The monument of Mrs. Wm. .Sharon is of chiseled marble, 
and was imported from Rome. The vanlt of W. Dunphy, built in 
imitation of the altar in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and sur- 
mounted by a figure of Hope, was erected at a cost of §40,000, if 
rumor be true. Other notable monuments are those of John Dillon, 
Michael Hayes, Lynch and Sheehy. 

The entrance to the Masonic Cemetery, a handsome and well 
kept burial ground, is on Point Lobos avenue, and on the line of 
tlie Geary street cars. The broad, serpentine walks, the fountain 
playing in the center, the profusion of flowers, and the large number 
of handsome monuments, make it well worth a visit. Xear the 
entrance is a tall castellated tomb. The Brittan monument, a white 
marble obelisk, on the top of which is a statue of Grief, and one of 
polished Aberdeen granite, in memory of Dr. Hill, are among the 
many beautiful decorations. Besides these are the monuments of J. 
B. Fargo, Monroe Ashbury, Jas. Savage, Spreckels, Piper and Garratt. 

The Odd Fellows' Cemetery, which adjoins the Masonic burial 
giound, fronts on Point Lobos avenue. One plot, of 2,400 square 
feet, is owned by the Grand Army of th«! Republic, and contains a 
beautiful monument, on which ax'e inscribed the words "Mustered 
Out." The railing is flanked with pieces of artillery. On a hillock, 
planted with trees, is an obelisk, erected at the expense of $16,000, 
in honor of Past Grand Master Parker, who introduced Odd Fellow- 
ship into California. 

Chinatown. — The Chinese population of California, numbers at 
least 75,000, and of San Francisco about 22,000. It is estimated 
tliat there are, in San Francisco, 13,000 Chinese laborers and factory 
operatives, 5,000 house servants, 3,000 lauudrymen, and 1,000 mer- 
chants, storekeepers, traders, peddlers, and idlers. The female 
population is about 2,000, and there are but a few hundred children. 

Chinatown proper, that is, the portion of tlie city occupied almost 
exclusively by Chinamen, extends from Stockton street, almost to 
the border of Kearny, and from Sacramento to Pacific streets, in- 
cluding all the lanes and alleys that lie between. The most densely 
populated portion of the quarter is the block on Dupont street, 
which is bounded by Jackson and Pacific. Here one finds himself 
in a labyrinth of passages, where none but the Chinamen themselves, 
and a few of the police officers can thread their way with certainty. 
Tlie main artery in this network is termed Sullivan's alley, and 
midway in the block is a passage 2 feet wide, connecting Sullivan's 
alley, with nan-ow lanes, called' Li Po Tai's alleys, from the fact, 
that the greater portion of the property is owaied l)y a Chinese phy- 
sician of that name. On the north side of Pacific street, and above 
Sullivan's alley, comes Ellick's alley, where are displayed some of 
the grosser features of Mongolian life. There are also in this neigh- 
borhood, many nameless holes and corners through which tlie visitor 
will not cai-e to pass. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 1),-) 

Joss Houses. — Of the G principal Joss houses in San Francisco, one 
belonging to the Hop Wo Company is located at 751 Clay street; 
one belonging to the Ning Wong Company at 230 Montgomery 
avenue; one is at 35 Waverly place; one at 512 Pine street, (the 
Kong Chow) ; one is situated in a lane on the north side of Sacramento 
street, 3 doors below Stockton; and one on Jackson street, between 
Stockton and Dupont. There are also many small temples, some of 
them belonging to private parties, and others supported by the com- 
panies or trades to which they belong. The laundrymen have one 
of their own, in connection with which is a sort of benevolent asso- 
ciation. There are others belonging to the cigar makers and to 
different crafts. 

Except a few tinsel ornaments on the balcony, and a figure or 
two perched on the balustrade, there is nothing to distinguish the 
exterior of any of the pagan temples from the better class of build- 
ings in Chinatown; nor is the interior decorated with anything 
approaching to the splendor of an Oriental edifice. John is too 
practical to expend his hard earnings in erecting costly houses of 
worship in a land where he finds nu abiding place. The wealthier 
Chinamen have, moreover, an idol of their own, before which they 
perform their devotions in their private apartments. In the Joss 
house, on Waverley Place, are several alcoves, in one of which are 
seated three gods, forming a sort of Chinese Trinity. The middle 
one is named ' ' Yum Ten Tin ;" or, the ' ' God of the Sombre Heavens." 
He is supposed to control all the waters of the earth and above the 
earth; to have the power of extinguishing fire, and putting an end 
to drought. He is a vegetarian, and only vegetables and tea are 
offered on his shrine. On his right sits the Chinese god of war, 
named "Kowan Tai." His image may fre(j[uently be seen in stores 
and dwellings, and in San Francisco he is the favorite deity, being 
supposed to have the power of settling disputes, quelling riots, and 
intimidating the most lawless of hoodlums. The third of the trio is 
worshipped as "Nam Hoi Hung Shing Tai," or the "God of the 
Southern Seas." He is believed to have the control of fire, and when 
Chinamen, or their effects, are rescued from the flames, offerings are 
made to him of meat, vegetables, wine and tea. 

In other alcoves are "Wah Tair," the "God of Medicine," who 
holds in his hand a large golden pill, and when invoked by certain ' 
mysterious incantations, is supposed to cure all manner of diseases, 
and "Tsoi Pah Shing Kwun," the "God of Wealth." The last 
mentioned holds in his hand a bar of bullion, and has, of course, 
many earnest votaries; the coolie and the capitalist alike bend the 
knee before his shrine. There are other images in the temple, all 
of wood or plaster, and some of them representing evil deities, wliich 
are also propitiated. The gods are never allowed to go hungry or 
thirsty. Food, tea, and sometimes wine, are always set witliin easy 
reach. A large bell, cast in China, and an innncnse drum, are used 
to rouse them when their slumbers are too protracted. In front of 



/ 



96 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

the altars are incense jars, filled with sand or ashes, where are kept, 
slowly burning, sticks of lighted incense, punk or sandal-wood. 
In the Clay street Joss house, are some copper screens, elaborately 
carved by hand, and representing scenes from early Chinese history. 
These are oiferings presented as donations, by wealthy Chiuamen. 

In the Chinese mode of worship there is a remarkable lack of 
reverence and formality. They enter the temple as they would 
enter a lodging house, chatting and smoking and with covered head. 
Witliout uncovering, or ceasing their conversation, or even removing 
from their lips the cigar or pipe, they approach their favorite deity, 
go through the "chin-chinning process;" (bowing low three times) 
as rapidly as possible ; leave their offering if they have one to leave ; 
and go about their business without further ceremony. The female 
worshippers are more devout, often prostrating themselves before 
the deity, and giving utterance to their supplications with due 
reverence. The prayers and offerings of either sex, are nearly all 
for some worldly good ; for success in business and in gambling, 
protection in journeys, freedom from calamity, recovery from sick- 
ness, etc. They have, however, a dread of purgatory, and their 
biggest worship days are when they pray the souls of their friends 
out of that supposed place of punishment. 

The priests obtain their livelihood from the sale of paper money, 
incense tapers, and other articles required by worshipers. It is 
also customary for white visitors to purchase from them some trifle 
as a curiosity. 

Connected with some of the Joss houses are hospitals, each able 
to accommodate 25 to 30 patients. Here the sick are treated and 
nursed without charge. Few Chinamen care, however, to avail 
themselves of this opportunity, preferring when sick, to remain 
among their friends. Even the indigent sick have a decided ob- 
jection to being treated in a public building. The most interesting 
time for strangers to visit these temples is on the Chinese New 
Year, when grand services are held, offerings of all kinds are made, 
and large crowds of Chinamen gather for prayer. There is no 
special time for supjili cation, and all during the day (at New Year), 
some pious-minded Chinamen may be seen performing their de- 
votions. 

Sunday in Chinatown. — Sunday is perhaps the best time to see 
Chinatown in full blast. On that day the many factories, where 
Chinamen are employed, contribute their quota to increase the 
swarm; and most of the domestic servants spend part of the day 
there. The sight is an instructive, but not a pleasing one. In the 
Chinese workshops, there is no cessation of toil. In the multitude 
of their shops and cellars they make cigars, or boots and shoes, or 
bend over sewing machines, with backs that never tire. The cob- 
bler is at work, seated on his box on the sidewalk, while a customer 
waits near by until his shoes are repaired. The barbers' shops are 
still busy shaving and shampooing the polls of their countrymen. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 97 

The shaving process is elaborate. The skin is scraped and washed, 
from the shoulders upwards, excepting only the portion of the scalp 
from which the queue depends. The queue is washed, combed, 
oiled and braided, and the eyelashes trimmed and sometimes tinted. 
The Chinaman as a rule is very careful about his person and especi- 
ally about his ablutions. The veriest vagabonds, or thieves or jail 
birds, that hang around the gambling saloons, or lie two deep on 
and under the shelves of opium dens, are cleaner and more decently 
clad than many of the Barbary Coast denizens of San Francisco. 

Chinese notions regarding the exclusion of women, forbid gentle- 
men being invited into their domestic apartments, but their families 
are visited daily by ladies connected with the Chinese missions. 
There are many family rooms in the rear of stores, and the majority 
of them are neatly and comfortably furnished, though in far too 
many instances they are overcrowded. The women brought here 
from Cliina are often taken by their own countrymen as secondary 
wives, and the children born of them are, by Chinese law and usage, 
perfectly legitimate. The time of the women is occupied in needle 
work, the making of fancy ornaments and similar light occupations. 

The children are healthy-looking, and appear to be well cared for. 
Their plump red cheeks, dark expressive eyes, and intelligent fea- 
tures, are in marked contrast with the sad, stolid, indiHerent gaze 
of the adult Chinaman. 

One may walk through the whole Chinese quarter without meeting 
more than half a dozen women; one or two of them perhaps, holding 
children by the hand, and hurrying across the street as if they had 
no business there. Young children are seldom seen on the streets, 
and never alone. In their attire, the women can hardly be distin- 
guished from the men. Their garments are the same in pattern, but 
wider, and of better material. Their principal ornaments are worn 
in the hair, which, in front, is oiled and pasted close to the head, 
and at the sides and back is sometimes rolled and puffed, and deco- 
rated with gilt ornaments and lofty combs. The coiffitre of the 
women indicates whether they be married or single, and is changed 
at different ages. Rings of boue or ivory are worn around the wrists 
and ankles. Ear-jings and finger rings, gilt, or of brass, are also 
commonly used. 

At all hours of the day, and at most hours of the night, there is a 
kind of sluggish activity in Chinatown, but late in the evening, one 
may witness the most striking scenes. A walk of a few blocks from 
the most brilliantly lighted portion of Kearny street, will take the 
visitor to the dingiest portion of the Chinese quarter, where the 
streets are narrowest and most gloomy. 

Chinese Holidays. — Festivals are almost as numerous among the 
Chinese as with the llussians; but there is only one that is univer- 
sally observed as a holiday, and that is the Chinese New Year, 
which begins with the first new moon after the sun has entered the 
sign of Aquarius, and may, therefore, come at any time between Jan- 



98 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

nary 21st and February 18th. In his mode of celebrating New 
Year, the Mongol is, in some respects, superior to the white man; 
he is never intoxicated, and he pays his debts. To be in debt on 
New Year, is considered disgraceful, and if there should be any 
laggard debtor who has not fulfilled his obligations, his creditors 
besiege him on the previous eve and threaten and worry him until 
he has made a settlement. Otherwise, the festival is celebrated in 
Chinatown very much as the white population, but with a little more 
noise. There is the same visiting from house to house, the same 
handshaking, the same kind wishes, and the same feasting. Instead 
of "Happy New Year," they exclaim, "New joy! new joy! get 
rich." Friendly salutations are exchanged on the streets. Cards 
of neat, red paper, with the name of the visitor inscribed in Chinese 
characters, are left at each house, The oldest friends receive the 
first visits, and then the more intimate among their comrades. Bunt- 
ing and lanterns and placards decorate the walls and windows; 
bombs and fire-crackers are exploded (the x^olice permitting), ar.d 
gongs and kettle-drums are beaten to drive away from earth all the 
bad spirits that may have collected on the scene during the past 
twelve-month, and to usher in the new year without the presence 
of any evil influences. Other Chinese holidaj^s are the day for the 
worship of the dead, usually in the first week in April; the feast of 
the goddess of Heaven in the last week of April, and the distribution 
of moon cakes in the second week of September. 

Funerals. — Among Chinamen there is often much apprehension 
that a suitable coffin may not be provided for the repose of tlieir 
remains; hence, a present of a handsome and well-made burial casket 
is no uncommon gift. At the better class of funerals, the body is 
usually dressed in new garments and covered with a white cloth. 
Different kinds of meat — cooked and uncooked, with vegetables, 
fruit, cakes, confections, tea and wine, are placed on tables at the 
feet of the corpse, and some of the food is presented to its mouth by 
the nearest relative. Sometimes fish and fowls, and even hogs are 
roasted whole for the occasion. The hired mourning women, dressed 
in white, then gather around, and on their hands and knees, utter 
their lamentations and eulogies over the deceased. Fire crackers 
are exploded, and drums and gongs are beaten to scare away the 
evil spirits. The body is then placed in the hearse, and on the way to 
the burying-groiind strips of paper, in imitation of Chinese money, 
purchased from the priestof the Joss house, are scattered with a liberal 
hand, in order to propitiate the bad spirits that may be hovering 
around the route. Paper money is also strewn and burnt around 
the grave. After the corpse has been deposited in the tomb, and 
the earth heaped upon it, candles and sticks of punk are lighted and 
placed around the spot. The food, wine and tea are brought out to 
the grave. A portion of them are strewn about the place, and the 
party return to town and consum.e the remainder. There arc no 
further ceremonies until a fortnight after the interment, when a day of 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 99 

special mourning is solemnized, if the deceased was a man of wealth or 
<Ustinction, and especially if Jie was a parent. In such cases the 
ceremonies are very elaborate, and the memory of the dead is per- 
jDetuated for many years. At the burial of women and infants, and 
also of men who, during life, were poor and without inilucnce, there 
is little formality observed. 

On the second month of the Chinese year, and on the 24th day 
of the month, occurs the festival named Tsing Ming — the pure and 
resplendent. On that day the Chinese believe that the dead come 
forth from their graves and revisit the earth. Banquets, including 
all manner of delicacies, such as the living delight to partake of, are 
prepared for the ghostly visitors, and taken out to the burial ground. 
The graves are repaired; the trees and shrubs are trimmed; and 
ceremonies performed similar to those held at funerals. The party 
then returns to the city, and a feast is spread, in which all participate. 

Chinese Theatres, — San Francisco has 2 Chinese theatres — the 
only ones in America — one at G29 Jackson, the other at 81G Wash- 
ington street. The charge for admission is 25 cents for Chinamen, 
and TiO cents for white persons, who, however, if they wish to be 
comfortable, should have a box, which, in the Washington street 
Theatre— the only one worthy of a visit — costs $3 additional, and 
will hold from G to 10 persons. The performance runs from 4.30 till 
]2 P. M., but the white visitor can see enough between 8 and 10 to 
satisfy his curiosity. The stage is narrow, without curtain or shift- 
ing scenes, footlights, or pictorial art of any kind. A sign on the 
wall back of the stage with the words, Dom Qiiai Yuen in Latin 
letters announces, that this is "The Elegant Flower House." Under 
tnat sign are the seats of the musicians, whose music, if that name 
can properly be applied to their noise, continues through all the 
plays, which seem to be semi-operatic in character. 

Two doors, one on each side of the stage, with their openings 
directly in front of the auditory, are used for all the entrances and 
exits. There is no division of a play into acts, and a scene lasts 
while there are actors on the stage. After a man is slain, he soon 
afterwards gets up and walks off. The idea of a change of place is 
conveyed by symbols. A little bush on the top of a chair, brought 
to the front of the stage, conveys the idea that the actors are in a 
forest. And -^he street, the sea-shore, a field, and the interior of a 
palace or a hut, are suggested by similar devices. On the English 
stage, three centuries since, it was the custom to liang up a little 
sign stating the name of the town, or the kind of a place in which 
the event was supposed to occur. As in Shakespeare's time, so now 
in the Chinese theatre, spectators are allowed to go on the stage 
when there is not room elsewhere. The orchestra has half a dozen 
performers, using instruments unknown to the English dictionary, 
but bearing some resemblance to violins, guitars, drums and gongs. 
Their concert, a succession of squeaks, rattles and bangs, ludicrous 
in its quieter intervals, and hideous in its more violent fits, provokea 



100 CENTRAL CALTTORNIA. 

■\vouder at the taste of the nation, which could invent, tolerate, and 
enjoy such discord. It has so little, of either melody or harmony, 
that it sounds more like a caricature than a serious attempt to gratify 
the ear. The acting is all done in front of the orchestra. The play 
often runs througli several days, and usually represents prominent 
scenes in the life of some military hero, noted in the ancient history 
of China; a fellow of superhuman strength, rare courage, and won- 
derful success in all his achievements. 

Merchauts. — At 739 Sacramento street, are the new rooms of 
the Chinese iMerchants' Exchange. They are fitted up in the ordin- 
ary Chinese style, and though presenting no special attraction to 
tlie visitor, the business transacted there is of considerable import- 
ance. A Chinese merchant, contractor or speculator, never starts 
on any enterprise alone. He always has at least one partner and in 
most cases, sevei-al. He makes no secret of his transactions, but 
converses about them at the Exchange, and often goes there in search 
of capital, when his o\vn means are insufficient. He sometimes 
applies to that institution to lind him a capable man to manage a 
new business, which he is about to start. If, as often happens, one 
be selected who is in debt to other members, they make arrange- 
ments which will not interfere with the new enterprise ; and the 
debtor is not unfrequently released from liis obligations. 

Restaurants. — The Hang Fer Low Restaurant, on Dupont street, 
between Clay and Sacramento, is the Delmonico's of Chinatown, 
The second floor of this and other leading restaurants is set apart 
for regular boarders, who pay by the week or mouth. The upper 
floor, for the accommodation of the more wealthy guests, is divided 
into apartments by movable partitions, curiously carved and lac- 
quered. The chairs and tables, chandeliers, stained window panes, 
and even the cooking utensils used at this restaurant were nearly all 
imported from China. Here dinner parties, costing from §20 to 
$100 for half a dozen guests, are frequently given by wealthy China- 
men. When the latter sum is paid, the entire upper floor is set 
apart for their accommodation, and the dinner sometimes lasts from 
2 P. M. till midnight, with intervals between the courses, during 
which the guests step out to take an airing, or to transact business. 
Among the delicacies served on such occasions are bird's nest soup, 
shark's fins, Tarauaki fungus (which grows on a New Zealand tree), 
Chinese terrapin, Chinese goose, Chinese quail, fish brains, tender 
shoots of bamboo, various vegetables strange to American eyes, 
and arrack, (a distilled liquor made of rice,) champagne, sherry 
oysters, chicken, pigeon, sucking pig, and other solids and liquids 
familiar to the European palate, also find their places at the 
feast. The tables are decorated with satin screens or hangingson 
one side ; the balconies or smoking rooms are illuminated by colored 
lanterns ; and Chinese music adds to the charms of the entertainment. 

Chinese Missions. — There are several Missions in California, 
whose special objects are the conversion of Chinamen to the Chris- 



rwTT^xr. CAUFOKXIA. 101 



turn &hli, iiiar edncatkn. Use Tiaitiiig of Cfameae lamfliwi, and the 
refbnnataoa of Chinese wDmoi. In San Fnmciaeo the prindpal 
aaaodatiaos axe the Ftesbytoun ^fiwrimi, 800 Stockton street^ 
nndertitecareoftheBer.A. W. Loomis; the IGaaon of the Meth- 
odist Epnoopal Church, 916 Washingtoo street, in charge of the 
Eer. Otis Gibson; and the Woman's Union Mkaion, at the north- 
west comer o€ Jackson and Dopont stzeetSu In connection with 
them are evening mehoaia^ where chnses are instmeted in the Eng- 
lidi htanches, faj com p e t ent teadtexa. On Sacramento street is a 
Home and Beformatocy for Qiineae women and children, who hare 
been rescned &om slavery. The avenge attendance at aU the even- 
ii^ adioda, in Cblifomia, is ahoot 900, and the number of Chinese 
\mptii05. in the Chpatian faith about 5aO. 

C^BTeyaaees. — ^The means of pnblic cooreyance about San Fian- 
cisoo, and frmn the city to the aurroonding country are excellent, 
and the faxes genexalty are rdatrv^^ low. The street laihoada axe 
nnmexoQS, the tx^ freqnent, the cars dean and the condactoxs 
attentive. The ferxy-ho^ on Ihe bay are large and A^m»*^ 13ie 
xaiboads lead to many wild places in the moontains of Santa Onis 
and Maxin, and other pbees eqnalty wild (and also within three 
hoars from the metropolis), can be readied by stages from BtatJows 
in those comities, as well as in San Mateo, Alameda, and Gontx» 
Costa. So wild is the ooontzythat in 1880, a wild cat was killed in 
the G<^en Gato Park of San Frandsco; and deer are foond witiiia 
two hooxs trarel horn the dt^. Having considered San Francneo^ 
let ns lock, at the neigfaboxing coonties, b eginning with Alameda, 

A^ameiat CMWty.— Alanwda, on the eastern shore oi San Fran- 
ciaoo Bay, is, in wealth and popolation, the second eoonty of Cbli- 
f omia. Distant from the metxopolis only 6 miles, and connected 
witiiitbySlinesofferKysteameis, its sabisian popolation nnmbers 
4O,00a It has, besides, a remaxkaUy fertile and waxm soil, and 
of the best land for ordiards and isBidens in the State. 



The dty of Oakland, and the towns of Alamfda, Berkeley and Hay- 



ftve many attractions for stzangera. The nnmber of visitors 
who cross the bay, from San F^andseo, on a |deasant Sonday in the 
^ppog is very laxge, often nnmberiBg, profaaUy, more than'20,000. 
The foor lines oi hoxae cars ran to the foot of the mo ontain s, back 
of Oakland; and the canyons on botii sides of the first spar, abound 
with romantic dxives and places for pcmcsL The hig^iest sommits 
of tiiexidgeneartiie western side of the ooonty are afaoat 2,000 feet 
above the sea. 

OakUad.—Oskland is one of the handsomest dties in the United 
Stages. It is, in the main, a la^ge ocdleelion of handsome snborban 
resid e n ce s, eaidi sarroonded by a qndoos and faixariant garden. 
Theiide acrom tiie Bay in the mie, laige, aixy and eomfortab^ feny 
boats; tiie short txip by steam cars into the dty ; the cheapness <^ 
the pasB^e, oonsiderii^ the dtirtanee traveled, astd the aooommoda- 
tions afforded; the freqoent trips of the boats, making a letnm to 



102 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

Sin Francisco every half hour always easy ; the great safety and 
convenience of the passage; the facilities for traveling by nine lines 
of street cars, and by private conveyance when Oakland is reached; 
the number and variety of resorts and places worth visiting; the 
mild yet exhilarating climate and genial sunshine ; the beauty of the 
city, and the charm of the grounds and residences of prosperous 
'jitizens, all combine to make a visit to Oakland one of the most 
agreeable experiences within easy reach of the tourist in California. 
The hotels are inferior, though there is one near Bi'oadway Station 
which is a first-class house. 

Lake Merritt. — Lake Merritt, a favorite place for boating in the 
eastern j)art of the city, a shallow sheet of water about a mile long 
by half a mile wide, was formed by throwing a dam at Twelfth 
street across the San Antonio estuary. Both sail and row-boats are 
kept for hire, 50 cents an hour for sail-boats, and 25 cents for row- 
boats being charged. There is no danger in boating on Lake 
Merritt. The waters are usually placid as a mill-pond, and never 
deeply agitated on account of the shallowness of the water. 

Sunday Parks. — Shell Mound Park, a favorite resort for marks- 
men, lies three miles from the Oakland City Hall, in the north- 
eastern part of the citj'", and is accessible by the Berkelej' steam 
cars, (fare, 10 cents.) It contains 5 acres and has two dance halls, 
shade trees, walks, swings, etc. it^To admission is charged except 
when the grounds are rented to picnics. 

Badger's Park, in East Oakland, on the line of the Central Pacific 
local train, (on which no fare is charged within the city limits,) may 
be reached by the street cars which run on Twelfth street, 3 blocks 
distant, fare, 6^ cents. It contains 5 acres, is a popular Sunday 
resort, and has a theatre and dance halls, refreshment stands, 
swings, shady walks and some fine trees. It is open without charge, 
except when rented to picnic parties. 

Berkeley. — Berkeley, 4^ miles north of Oakland, is the seat of 
the State University. Steam cars (fare 10 cents) from the ferry 
landing, and horse cars (fare 15 cents) every hour from Broadway, 
Oakland. The carriage drive is fine. The elevation of the site of 
the University is about 400 feet above the sea, with a commanding 
outlook to the west. Facing the Golden Gate, the eye takes in the 
whole San Francisco peninsula at a sweep, with its hills crowned 
with houses, its forest of masts in the foreground, and the bold 
islands that deck the baj^, while to the north-west towers the peak 
of TamaljDais. The walks through the grounds, which embrace 200 
acres, are delightful, and the interest is augmented by the many 
foreign trees, shrubs and vines, as well as all the domestic vai'ieties, 
making an extensive botanical garden, which are cultivated here. 

A panoramic view of great interest and variety greets the eye of 
the visitor from the hills east of Oakland. In the foreground are 
Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda, then the glistening bay beyond, 
and the city of San Francisco, climbing the hiUs on the other side, 



CENTRAL CALIJJ-ORNIA. 103 

the GolclcD Gate in tlio west, and the bold shore line of Marin on 
the north. 

Piedmont. — Piedmont, in the hills, 3 miles north-east of Oakland, 
is a favorite resort. It has a good hotel, a mineral spring, avenues 
of trees, winding walks, shady lounging places, and many delightful 
outlooks. The Broadway and Piedmont street cars run every hour 
from Washington street (Broadway Station), to Piedmont. 

The Oakland Cemetery lies in the upper end of a valley to the 
north-east oi Oakland, 2 miles distant, has handsome walks and 
monuments. It contains 60 acres of diversified surface, and is well 
laid out and highly ornamented. A great variety of trees, shrubs, 
vines and flowers are cultivated in the grounds, making the place 
attractive. It is reached in 20 minutes by street cars, fare, G.^ cents, 
from Broadway. 

Hij^h Peaks. — East of Berkeley, and partly within the limits of 
the University grounds, is Strawberry Canyon, which has many nice 
places for picnics, and at the head of this canyon, a little more than 
a mile from the University in a direct line, is Brush Peak, 1,742 
feet. The road to it is open, and there is pleasant shade on the way 
as well as at the top. Two miles south-east from Piedmont is Eed- 
wood Peak, which rises to an elevation of 1,639 feet. A wagon road 
used by farmers leads nearly to its top, on which grow whortleberry 
bushes. 

Drives. — Oakland has many pleasant drives in its streets and 
vicinity, including those to the Cemetery, Piedmont, Fruit Vale, 
Berkeley, Alameda, the Fish Ranch, the Laundry Farm, San Lean- 
dro and Moraga Valley. 

The most romantic short drive near Oakland is around Piedmont 
Hill. This leads out Broadway and Webster streets, to the ter- 
minus of the Piedmont horse car track, then turns to the right and 
follows the main road until it meets the car track at a short turn, 
tliere continues in an eastward course (while the car goes southward 
to the Piedmont Hotel), and follows the main road to the right, 
making a complete circuit and entering East Oakland on Thirteenth 
avenue. Wild canyons are seen on both sides of the hill. The 
length of the drive is about 5 miles. 

Morasra Pass. — A longer drive and one still more romantic, may 
be found by turning sharply to the left, after getting about half way 
around Piedmont Hill, and going eastward over the Thorn Toll Road. 
This leads through Moraga Pass, crossing the mountain at an eleva- 
tion of about 1,400 feet, and descending on the other side into Red- 
wood Canyon, a tributary of San Leandro Creek. The road is steep 
and narrow but otherwise good, and leads through very I'omantic 
scenery. San Leandro Creek runs about 10 miles to the southward, 
through a canyon all the way, before it turns to the westward, and 
issues into the open plain. Those who want to take a long drive 
can follow the canyon down till it turns sharply to the left, while 



104 CENTRA.L CALIFORNIA. 

the main road turns at a right angle to the right. This right hand 
road leads out into the Alameda plain. 

After the driver has followed Redwood Canyon in its eastward 
course down to where the stream bends to the southward, he can 
turn to the north-eastward and return by the Telegraph road, of 
which mention will be made in next paragraph. 

Telegraph Pass. — By following the Berkeley horse car track 
from Berkeley out to Temescal, and there turning to the right, a 
romantic drive will be found crossing the mountain by Telegraph 
Pass, so called becaiise the first telegraph running from Oakland 
eastward was built on this route. The summit, 6 miles from Oak- 
land, has an elevation of 1,350 feet, and commands an extensive 
view to the east and west. About 2 miles beyond the summit is 
the Fish Ranch, a summer resort, where a good meal can be ob- 
tained. The water flowing past the Fish Ranch belongs to San 
Pablo Creek, and after flowing northward through a wild canyon, 
turns to the west and comes out into the plain. The drive from 
Oakland through the canyon is about 35 miles long, and, with a good 
team, carriage and driver, furnishes very pleasant occupation for a 
long summer day. The drive to Oakland from the Fish Ranch by 
way of Moraga Pass is 14 miles; or, by the Ranch road and Moraga 
Pass, 1 7 miles. The post-oflice address of the proprietor of the Fish 
Ranch is "J. H. Olive, of the Fish Ranch, Oakland." 

Wild Cat Creek, a tributary of the San Pablo, rises east of Berkeley, 
and makes a canyon which can be reached by driving north from 
Oakland about 5 miles, and then going eastward 3. It has some 
pleasant scenery, but is smaller and less interesting than the San 
Pablo Canyon. 

Laundry l^arm. — Laundry Farm, 6 miles south-east of Oakland, 
is a favorite place for private picnics. It is in the hills, and its 
attractions are the great oaks, the rolling hills, the shady ravines, 
secluded nooks and fresh water. Sunday School picnics and quiet 
people generally go to Laundry Farm. It is reached only by private 
conveyance, going out on the San Leandro road to Mill's Seminary 
lane, and thence past the Seminary to the farm. 

Haywards. — Hay wards, 15 miles south-east of Oakland, a summer 
resort much patronized by visitors from San Francisco and Oakland, 
may be reached by steam cars on the Central Pacific Railroad. The 
town is of a quiet and orderly character, and is located in the midst 
of a superior farming community, where the farms are kept in a high 
state of cultivation. There are pleasant drives and walks in the 
vicinity. 

Alameda. — Alameda is visited by many San Franciscans, especially 
on pleasant Sundays, on account of its abundance of trees, profusion 
of flowers, nice rambles in open grounds, and the various places of 
resort on the narrow-guage railroad, including the swimming baths 
and Schutzen Park, which contains 4 acres of ground covered 
with fine trees, and has. a bowling alley, dancing hall and shooting 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. lOo 

gallery. Trains run to Alameda every hour, connecting-with ferry- 
boats from 8au Francisco. 

The Alameda Swimming Batlis, which have a large patronage in 
the summer, are on the south side of the Alameda peninsula. There 
are 7 establishments, which occupy about 2,000 feet in length on the 
beach, and have an average width of 200 feet within their enclosures, 
and outside there are 3 miles of open beach of the same ";haracter 
for bathing purposes. The beach is a fine sand, firmly packed, and 
has a gradual slope, the water being only 5 and 6 feet deep 200 
feet from the shore. The diving pools in the basins are from 10 to 
12 feet deep, having been excavated for that purpose. There are in 
all 1,125 dressing rooms at the several establishments, and as many 
as 3,000 and 4,0(X> bathers have been accommodated on a Sunday. 
Hot salt water Ijaths are provided for all who prefer them. The 
price of a bath, either hot or cold, is 25 cents. The average num- 
ber of visitors on week-days, in good weather, is about 1,000, one- 
third of whom are ladies. 

Fruit Yale. — Fruit Vale, 3 miles north-east of Oakland, is a 
delightful suburb of the city, in which are some fine residences of 
wealthy citizens, and many of the finest fruit farms in the county. 
Street cars run to this quiet retreat from Broadway, Oakland, and 
from the railroad station in East Oakland. 

Contra Costa.— Contra Costa, so named, because, when originally 
organized as a county, it included most of the opposite side or 
counter coast of the bay, as seen from San Francisco, was afterwards 
divided, the southern portion of its territory being taken to make 
up the County of Alameda. The chief points of interest to the 
pleasure-seeker in Contra Costa are Mt. Diablo, Pine Canyon, San 
Pablo Canyon, ^Mitchell's Canyon, the Fish lianch, and the town of 
Martinez. San Pablo Canyon and the Fish Eanch, though in Contra 
Costa, are most conveniently accessible for most of their visitors 
from Oakland, and have been mentioned in connection w ith that 
place. Pine Canyon at the western, and Mitchell Canyon at the 
northern base of Mt, Diablo, are places in favor with campers, hav- 
ing an abundance of shade, water, wood and pleasant scenery. 
Martinez is a pleasant town, well sheltered against the winds and 
fogs, by high hills on the west. The climate is similar to that of 
San Rafael, and is much better in summer than that of San Fran- 
cisco, for people with weak lungs. The favorite drives of the Mar- 
tinez people are to Alhambra, Pacheco, Ignacio, and Diablo Valleys ; 
the picnic grounds are in Pine Canyon and Cox's Grove, San Ramon 
Valley. From Antioch there is a nice drive to Marsh Creek. Two 
miles from the railroad station of Byron, there are warm springs, 
which are supplied with a hotel and bath houses for visitors. 

Mt. IMablo.— Mt. Diablo, 3,848 feet high, directly east from the 
Golden Gate, and 30 miles in a direct line from San Francisco, is 
seen every clear day by 500,000 people, and on account of its central 
position, rising like a cone in the midst of a large basin, is the most 



106 CENTBAL CALirORNHA. 

prominent moimtain in California. Prof. Wliitney says : "The most 
interesting short excursion, however, -which can be made from San 
Francisco, is the ascent of Mt. Diablo. * * * From the summit 
the view is panoramic, and perhaps unsurpassed in extent. Owing 
to the peculiar distribution of the mountain ranges of California, and 
the position of Mt. Diablo in the centre of a great elliptic basin, the 
eye has full sweep over the slopes of the Sierra Nevada to the crest, 
from Lassen's Peak [in latitude 40° 30',] on the north, to Mt. Whit- 
ney [in latitude 36° 32',] on the south, a distance of fully 325 miles. 
It is only in the clearest weather that the details of the snowy 
range [the summit of Avhich at the nearest point is 130 miles away,] 
can be made out; but the nearer masses of the. Coast Eange, with 
their inniimerable waves of mountains and wavelets of spurs, are 
visible from JSlt. Hamilton and Mt. Oro on the south, to Mt. St. 
Helena on the nortli. The great interior valley of California, the 
plains of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, are spread out under the 
observer's feet, like a map, and they seem illimitable in extent. 
The whole area thus embraced within the field of vision, as limited 
by the extreme points in the distance, is little less than 40,000 
square miles, or almost as large as the whole State of New York." 
From Mt. Diablo the spectator can see San Francisco, Sacramento, 
Stockton, Martinez, Vallejo, Benicia, Sonoma, Petaluma, San 
Rafael, San Mateo, Redwood City, and a hundred towns of less 
note. Among the most remarkable sights obtainable from the 
mountain, is its shadow in the evening as it advances across the 
San Joaquin plain, and gradually climbs from its base to the summit, 
ascending 8,000 feet, and reaching to a distance of more than 100 
miles. Periiaps even more remarkable is the shadow as thrown at 
sunrise, in the midsummer, on the fog overhanging San Francisco. 
That part of the fog in tlie sunlight is brilliant white; while that 
in the shadow is a dark gray, conveying the idea, at first glance, 
that it is a large black mountain between the eye and the fog bank. 
The following is a list of the principal points visible from Mt. 
Diablo, with their distances and general directions : 

San Francisco 30 miles S. of W. 

Farallone Islands (33 " S. of W. 

Grizzly Peak 20 " S. of W. 

Mt. San Bruno 30 " W. S. W. 

Redwood City 30 " S. S. W. 

Loma Prieta 66 " S. 

Mission San Jose Peak 27 " S. 

Mt. Hamilton 42 " S. S. E. 

Mt. Oso 39 " S. E. 

Mt. Whitney 175 " S. E. 

Mt. Ritter 115 " S. of E. 

Stockton 35 '* N. of E. 

Mt. Stanford 130 " N. IST. E. 

Sacramento 54 " N. N. E. 



CENTRAL CALIFOilNlA. 107 

Dowuieville Peak 135 miles N. N. E. 

Marysville 90 " E. of N. 

Mt. Lassen 180 " E. of N. 

Marysville Buttes 90 " N. 

Suisun 25 " W. of N. 

Mt. St. Helena GG " N. W. 

Martinez 12 '' N. W. 

Benicia 14 *' N. W. 

Napa 20 " N. W. 

Vallejo 16 " N. W. 

Petalmna 48 " W.N.W. 

San Eafael 32 " N. of W. 

Tamalpais 36 " N. of W. 

Golden Gate 35 " S. of W. 

These directions will be more satisfactory to the general reader 
than if given in the technical terms used by surveyors. 

The views from the tops of high mountains are generally very un- 
satisfactory because, though the eye may range over a great distance, 
it cannot distinctly see anything of much interest. In the remote 
distance are seen dim outlines of mountains, and valleys, and the 
situations of towns and rivers, while the foreground and middle 
ground contain nothing but bare rocks and dark forest. It is the 
peculiar advantage of Mt. Diablo that it occupies a central position 
in the midst of a fertile country, so near that the dwellings, trees, 
wagons, fields and villages, at the level of the sea in the adjacent valleys, 
the streets of the metropolis, the steamers plying in its harbor, and the 
ships entering or leaving the Golden Gate, can be plainly seen. In 
the extent of fertile land within 30 miles, and the number and com- 
bination of towns, villages, bays, islands, rivers, valleys and snow- 
covered mountains visible from its summit, no other peak equals 
Diablo. 

The view from every mountain top, however, is often indistinct 
on account of either the cloudiness or the haziness of the atmosphere. 
In California the tourist seldom has to complain of the clouds, but 
often of the haze, which seems to increase from the end of one rainy 
season till the beginning of another. The sky may be clear and the 
air dry, yet the lower strata of the atmosphere, as seen from an ele- 
vation, appear to be full of a reddish dust, which is thicker in the 
afternoon than in the morning, and thicker to the leeward of dis- 
tricts where there are many inhabitants, than to the windward. 
The best time to climb the mountains for the view is on a spring 
morning soon after a rain. 

A wagon road to the summit ascends on the soutli-west, the steep 
rise being four miles long on the Pine Canyon route, and live 
miles by the Green Valley route. The two routes unite a mile and 
a half below the summit. The Pine Canyon road has a grade of 
16 feet in 100, making it very hard for horses ; and livery-stable 
keepers rarely let horses go to the summit, unless in charge of their 



108 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

own drivers. The distance from Martinez is 18 miles by tne Pine 
Canyon road ; from Haywards, 21 miles by the Green Valley road. 
From Oakland the distance is 32 miles, and the aggregate of the 
ascents made is 5,400 feet. A horse trail leads to the mountain top 
from Clayton, by way of Mitchell Canyon and Deer Flat. The best 
way to go to Mt. Diablo, is to spend the night at Martinez or Hay- 
ward's, and start early in the morning. Each place has a livery 
stable, supplied with good wagons for large or small parties. 

San Mateo. — San Mateo County occupies the greater part of the 
peninsula between the southern arm of San Francisco Bay and the 
ocean. Its most interesting features, as considered from the stand- 
point of this book, are the country residences of the millionaires 
near Menlo Park, Belmont and Millbrae, the Palo Alto horse farm, 
the summer hotels of Pilarcitos, La Honda and Pescadero; the camp 
grounds in the basin of the San Gregorio Creek. 

Country Homes. — The plain between the mountain ridge 
which occupies the western portion of San Mateo County and the 
bay, is the nearest fertile district to San Francisco, accessible with- 
out crossing salt water. Here is a favorite place for the summer 
homes of Californian millionaires. The most luxurious of these 
places are the estates of Leland Stanford, D. 0. Mills, Wm. Sharon, 
J. C. Flood and John Parrot. Their dwellings are in the midst of 
sijacious grounds, which are planted with a large variety of orna- 
mental plants, intersected by extensive drives, open on most of the 
places to visitors every week day. jSIenlo Park has more of these 
elegant country homes in its vicinity than any other station on the 
railroad running through the county ; and a day can be spent there 
pleasantly driving through the private parks. 

Palo Alto. — Palo Alto, Spanish for tall timber, suggested by a 
redwood tree on the bank of San Francisquito Creek, within a few 
steps of the railroad, is the name of the rural home of Leland Stan- 
ford. He has set aside 1,400 acres for the breeding and training of 
horses, of which he has 500 of the best thoroughbred and trotter 
blood. Two of his horses cost him §25,000 each. He employs 75 
men to take care of his horses ; including 7 skilled trainers, he has 
stalls for 450 horses, 300 acres in paddocks, of not more than 2 acres 
each, and 750 acres of irrigated land to supply pasture, roots, and 
other food for the horses. Though this farm is only 5 years old, it 
has beaten tlie best record of Kentucky for yearling and two year 
old trotters. The peculiar features of the Palo Alto horse farm are, 
first, its large size ; second, its system of paddock practice, so that 
the colt shall try his speed every day, except during rain, after he 
is 6 months old; third, its "short work" in training; fourth, the 
system of feeding steamed grain to the colts ; and fifth, the great 
care taken of the brood mares, with inclosure in the paddock by day 
and in the stall by night. 

Summer Resorts. — Pescadero, on the ocean beach, 40 miles due 
south, in a direct line, from San Francisco, but about 53 by the or- 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 109 

dinary route of travel, is a favorite summer resort. Its attractions 
are a commodious hotel with accommodations for 100 guests, a bath- 
ing beach near the hotel, moss beach, the pebble beach, and beautiful 
camping and picnic grounds in the vicinity. The moss beach, 12 
miles to the southward, abounds with sea mosses which grow as 
parasites on the strong, coarse kelp. Many of these mosses are very 
delicate in their forms and colors, though much care and skill are re- 
quired to spread them out and dry them in a manner to show their 
beauties to the best advantage. The pebble beach, 2 miles south of 
Pescadero, abounds with smooth pebbles, many of them from a 
quarter to half an inch in diameter, of moss agate, carnelian, opal 
and other stones, which, though not of much value, are interesting, 
and visitors lie there for hours in the sun, jDickiug out the nicer 
specimens. It is said by those who have had opportunities for ex- 
tensive observation, that no other beach in the United States is 
equal to this in the quality and beauty of its stones. Many of them 
have been cut and set in jewelry. There is a romantic road running 
near the ocean shore from Pescadero to Santa Cruz. 

La Honda, about 14 miles west from Redwood City, in the redwood 
forest, is an attractive place of resort, and has a hotel which can 
accommodate 30 guests. J. H. Sears is tlie proprietor. 

Pilarcitos Reservoir, 5 miles from the railroad station of Milbrae, 
and 22 miles from San Francisco, is a favorite resort for fisliermen, 
who must have permits from the S])ring Valley Water Company 
before they can fish. Mr. Ebright, whose post-officu is Milbrae, 
keeps a good house for the entertainment of guests, and has a wagon 
to carry them to and from the station. The house has beautiful 
shade, and romantic scenery in its vicinity. 

There is a beautiful drive from San Mateo, following San Mateo 
Creek, about five miles to Crystal Springs, then turning north to 
San Andres Reservoir, then east to Milbrae, and along the main 
highway of the county to San Mateo. 

Santa Clara. — Santa Clara County occupies a prominent place 
in the horticulture of California, and contains a large area of fertile 
and well cultivated land. It has prol)ably more trees in orchard, 
than any other equal area in the United States, and in 18S2 it is 
pervaded by a fever for planting more fruit trees, not only in the 
valleys, but high up on the slopes of the mountains. Tiie county 
may be reached from the metropolis, either by water, or by any one 
of the three railroads, one west and two east of San Francisco Bay. 

The main points of interest to the visitors are Mt. Hamilton, 
Penitencia Canyon, the Pacific Congress Springs, the Gilroy Hot 
Springs, the Madrono Springs, the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine, 
the artesian wells, the strawberry fields, and the towns of San Jose, 
Santa Clara, Mission San Jose and Los Gatos. 

The summit of Mt. Hamilton, in latitude 37° 25', 4,448 feet high, 
14 miles in a direct line, nearly due cast from San Jose, and 20 miles 
by the road, has been selected as the site for an astronomical obser- 



110 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

vatory, which wfis endowed with the sum of $700,000, by the will 
of James Lick, who died in 1876. A secondary peak, 140 feet lower 
than the highest summit, was preferred as the place for the observ- 
atory, because it could be graded with less expense. The level space 
on the observatory peak, is 250 feet long, and about 60 feet wide on 
the average, the widest place being 120 feet. The small dome of the 
observatory has been erected, and contains a twelve inch telescope 
and a four inch comet-seeker. The transit house is supplied with 
time instruments. A contract has been made with Alvan Clark, of 
Cambridgeport, Mass., for the construction of a telescope, with a 
lens 30 inches in diameter, to be finished in November, 1883. It is 
expected that this will be more powerful than any telescope hitherto 
made. 

Mt. Hamilton is situated between two ridges of the Coast Eange. 
Ten miles to tlie eastward is the main divide of the chain, there 
about 3,500 feet high; and four miles to the westward is the Contra 
Costa ridge, there 2,500 feet high. The greater part of the space 
between these two ridges is filled with rugged mountain, covered 
with chaparral. No part of the San Joaquin Valley, and nothing 
of the Santa Clara Valley, within 8 miies, is visible from the sum- 
mit, but on a clear day the spectator can see the summit of the 
Sierra Nevada, the Pacific Ocean, a large part of the Santa Clara 
and Pajaro Valleys, the plains of Alameda and San INIateo, Goat 
Island, Mt. San Bruno and Tamalpais. The view is inferior to that 
from Diablo. After Mr. Lick announced his intention to endow an 
observatory to be established on a mountain top, the French Gov- 
ernment established one on the Pic du Midi, and the Italian Gov- 
ernment one on JSlt. Etna. 

The road from San Jose leads out to the east-north-eastward, five 
miles across valley land, over a hard, smooth track, lined with trees 
to the hills, which it ascends, with a general course to the south-east- 
ward, for 5 miles, till it reaches the summit of the ridge, separating 
the Santa Clara Valley from the Canada de Pala. The road winds 
along the western side of the Canada with an eastward course, and 
little change of level, ten miles to the crossing of Smith Creek, 
where there is a hotel, the only one on the road, six miles from the 
summit. The road passes through a pleasant country, and winds 
about continuously, so as to present a rapid succession of new and 
interesting views. The Canada de Pala lias some fertile land, and is 
well situated for a summer resort of invalids and pleasure seekers. 

Santa Clara Towns. — The county seat, San Jose, sometimes 
called "The Garden City," has 13,000 inhabitants, is a prosperous 
and beautiful town, embowered in trees, and surrounded by a rich 
horticultural district. The spaciousness and elegance of the gardens, 
the cleanness of the streets and roads, and the comfortable appear- 
ance of the dwellings, indicate that the people have good means. 
The county has 500 artesian wells, of which 300 are within 5 miles 
of San Jose, nearly all of them north of a line drawn cast and west 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. Ill 

through the southern part of the town. These wells are used to 
irrigate strawberry fields, gardens and orchards. The deepest well 
in the county is 4G0 feet deep. The vicinity of San Jose lias 1,200 
acres in strawberries, and the yield sometimes amounts for short 
periods to 40 tons daily. The town was established on November 
29th, 1777, by order of the Spanish Government, the settlers having 
been brought by land from Sonora, The town is lighted at night by 
a central electric light, supported at a height of 150 feet above the 
ground by a frame of gas pipe. 

The town of Santa Clara, three miles west of San Jose, is con- 
nected with it by a horse railroad, and by two steam railroads, and 
l)y the Ala neda, a beautiful wide road lined with large old trees on 
each side. The oldest buildings are those of the Santa Clara (Jesuit) 
College, and belonged to the Mission of Santa Clara, founded in 1777. 

The Mission San Jose is the name of the town which has grown up 
about the Mission of San Jose, 14 miles northward from the town of 
San Jose, at the foot of the ridge east of San Francisco Bay. The 
iidobe church, built about the beginning of the century was used till 
1868, when it was so shattered by an earthquake,. that it was torn 
down and replaced by a wooden edifice. 

Pleasure Resorts. — Besides Mt. Hamilton, the leading pleasure 
resorts in Santa Clara County are Penitencia Canyon, six miles east 
of San Jose; the Pacific Congress Springs, the Gilroy Hot Springs, 
and the Madrone Springs. Every summer some campers go to the 
valleys of the Pala, Los Gatos and Calaveras Creeks. The Peniten- 
cia Canyon is a public i)ark belonging to the city of San Jase, and is 
a very attractive place. It has mineral springs, a natural vapor 
bath and a commodious hotel. The vapor bath is in a tunnel cut 
into the rock. A mile above the hotel the Penitencia Creek has a 
cascade 70 feet high, and, half a mile below, another 30 feet high. 

The Pacific Congress Springs have long been a favorite place of 
resort, have a good medicinal water, a beautiful situation, and a 
commodious and well kept hotel. The elevation is about 700 feet 
above the sea. The springs are a mile and a half from the village 
of Saratoga, and six miles north from the Los Gatos Station. The 
road leads through the liills at the eastern base of the Santa Cruz 
Mountain, amidst vineyards and orchards. This district has done 
more than any other part of the State, in clearing up chaparral and 
timber on the hills, to make room for orchards. Six miles westward 
from the Pacific Congress Springs, by a good wagon road which leads 
to Santa Cruz, is the .summit of the mountain, commanding an ex- 
tensive view of the Santa Clara Valley and the Alameda plain on one 
side, and Monterey Bay and its shores on the other. 

Santa Cruz. — To i)leasure seekers, Santa Cruz is one of the most 
attractive counties of California. It has convenient means of access 
with the metropolis by laud and w^ater, abundant accommodations 
for visitors, numerous mineral springs, umbrageous canyons, and 
camping and picnic grounds, trout in the streams and game in the 



112 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

hills, wild mountain scenery, great redwood trees which approach 
the Sierra sequoias in magnitude, and an extensive sandy beacli on 
Monterey Bay, with situations well suited for bathing, boating, 
driving, clamming and gathering sea moss. 

City ot* Santa Cruz. — The City of Santa Cruz, situated at the 
northern end of Monterey Bay, under the shelter of a protecting 
point, has probably a larger number of summer boarders, and of 
houses open for the reception of boarders, than any other place in 
the State. It is a beautiful town with neat liouses, luxuriant gar- 
dens, excellent hotels, numerous pleasant drives and cheerful sur- 
i-oundings. By the South Pacific Coast (Narrow Gauge) Railroad, 
Santa Cruz is 80 miles from San Francisco ; by the Southern Pacific 
(Broad Gauge) 121; by sea 70. The Broad Gauge route follows the 
valleys ; the Narrow Gauge route, between Santa Clara and Santa 
Cruz, crosses the mountains. A horse railroad carries passengers, 
from the center of the city of Santa Cruz to the beach, which is a 
resort for many people nearly every summer day. The mean tem- 
perature of the water is 52'' in January and GO" in July, in the baj^ 
and the estuaries and lagoons, with which Santa Cruz is better sup- 
plied than any other town on the coast, are still warmer in summer. 

Santa Cruz Bi^ Trees. — The Santa Cruz Big Tree Grove, seven 
miles from Santa Cruz, on the bank of the San Lorenzo E,iver, is one 
of the most interesting points within a day's journey of San Fran- 
cisco. The distance is 73 miles from the city, and the Narrow 
Gauge road runs through the edge of the grove, so that there is no 
delay or inconvenience in reaching the ground. A party leaving the 
metropolis at 8:30 a. m., can spend nearly three hours in the Big- 
Trees, and reach home at 7 p. m., the same day. The grove covers 
an area of about 20 acres, and has a score of redwood trees, 10 feet 
or more in diameter ; one tree of 18 feet; several of 17 feet; many 
smaller redwoods, besides oaks, firs, and other trees. One stump of 
a redwood is covered with a summer house, which has seats for four- 
teen persons. Another stump with nine young trees growing up 
as sprouts from its sides, (some are 8 inches in diametei',) is 
18 long steps in circumference. The Pioneer, of which an engrav- 
ing is given on next page, is 17 feet through. There are many 
little redwood trees and other pleasant undergrowth. Numerous 
tables and benches have been provided ; and while there is room for 
thousands of people, there are also numerous secluded little nooks, 
suitable for the smallest party. 

The redwood is so much like the sequoia gigantea in form, foliage, 
bark, wood, size, and places of growth, that the two were supposed 
to be of the same species, until a small difference was discovered 
by an expert botanist: and this grove gives as much satisfaction to 
most visitors, as do the larger Calaveras and Mariposa Groves, which, 
if they have larger trees, cannot be visited without much more 
inconvenience and expense. The grove has a small house built for 
a hotel, but it is entirely inadequate to the wants of the situation, 



CENTRAL f'ALTFORXIA. 



118 



and in the spring of 1882, lias no tenant. If there were a good 
house, tliere would probaldy be many summer hoarders; that is, if 
the attractions of the place can be fairly estimated from the impres- 
sions left l)y repeated visits of a few liours each. Eight miles north 
of the Big Tree Grove, on the bank of Newell Creek, is another 
redwood grove, containin trees almost as large. 




SANTA CRUZ BIG TREE. 

Santa Cruz >10imta!ns. — The ridge separating Santa Cruz from 
Santa Clara County, there generally known as the Santa Cruz 
Mountains, is 150 miles long. It starts as a spur from the main 
ridge of the Coast Range in latitude 3G° 20', serves as a boundary 
between San Benito and Monterey counties, runs through San 
Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties, and disappears near the 
mouth of llussian River, in Sonoma. Its general elevation is about 
2,000 feet, and its most notable peaks are (Jabilan, Loma Prieta 
(Mt. Bache), Mt. San Bruno, Mission Peak and Tamalpais. The 



114 CENTRAL CALirOENIA. 

ridge in Sauta Clara and Santa Cruz counties abounds with situations 
valuable for horticulture and for pleasure resorts. Vineyards, or- 
chards and summer homes are found on the top as well as on the 
slopes of the mountains. "Wright's Hotel and Heed's Hotel, each 
about 3 miles, and Redwood Hotel and Ocean View Farm, each 4 
miles from Wright's Station, are on the summit there, about 1,600 
feet above the sea. Near Wright's Hotel is Sky land, a campiug 
place and summer village, where residents of San Francisco and San 
Jose liave cheap dwellings. The Redwood Hotel, or Hotel de Red- 
wood, is on the wagon road crossing the mountains, one of the 
pleasautest drives in the State. J. D. Whitney says : "The scenery 
on this road, from Santa Cruz to San Jose, is hardly surpassed by 
anything in the Coast Range." 

Loma Prieta, 3,780 feet high, nearly cast from Santa Cruz, is a 
prominent feature in the landscape, as seen from Monterey Bay or 
the Santa Clara Valley. It is a dark olive green mountain, covered 
with chaparral on its ridges, and with redwood timber in its 
canyons, with a flat top, rising about 1,200 feet above the general 
level of the ridge in its vicinity. The peak can be ascended either 
from Sequel or from Wright's Hotel, the distance from the latter 
point being 8 miles. On a clear day, the summit commands a view 
of Monterey Bay and its shores, the Pacific Ocean, the Salinas, 
Pajaro and Santa Clara Valleys, San Francisco Bay, the plains at 
its sides, the Coast Mountains for 100 miles to the northward and 
southward, and the top of the Sierra Nevada. Among the towns 
visible are Monterey, Salinas, Castro vi lie, Carnadero, ^Vatsonville, 
Santa Cruz, Soquel, Gilroy, Santa Clara, San Jose and Mayfield. 

Santa Cruz Kuins. — Fifteen miles north-east from Santa Cruz, on 
the farm of D. M. Locke, is a peculiar sandstone formation resem- 
bling the columns of a ruined building. Prof. Whituey says : 

"Here perpendicular tubes or chimneys of rock are found, from 
1 foot to 3 feet in diameter, the sandstone appearing to have been 
hardened on concentric layers by the infiltration of ferrugineous 
solutions, and this hardened portion has withstood the action of the 
elements, while the softer bands and the interior column, or cylindri- 
cal masses, have weathered away, leaving a pile of rocks behind, 
which, by some exertion of the imagination, can be construed in a 
resemblance to a ruined cit}^ on a very small scale." 

Fata Morgana. — Occasionally, but usually with long intervening 
periods, the atmospheric phenomenon known in the Mediterranean 
as the Fata Morgana, is seen from Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz 
Sentinel, of April 1, 1871, thus described such a scene : 

"Standing on the bluff, near the light-house, we watched the 
beautiful scene for hour after hour. It was one of those scenes 
which at times makes its appearance on the coast of Messina. The 
entire beach, with its narrow line of yellow sand extending from 
Point Pinos entirely around to this place, and the many landing 
places and towns, became visible, looming up like gigantic castles. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 115 

The houses in Monterey, twenty-two miles distant, appeared to hang 
in the air, as if gently rocked in a sea of glass. The mountains 
back of that city, and the light-house, formed a splendid background. 
Far away on tlie right could be seen an ocean steamer which, at 
times, seemed to be four or live stories high, with heavy roll plough- 
ing her way to the Golden Gate, and the bay toward Moss' Lauding, 
the buildings of the landing constantly growing taller and taller, 
the steamer Moittereij making her way to this city. In the immediate 
foreground were five or six schooners, tacking in difierent directions, 
and passing and repassing each other, adding to the beauty of the 
scene. We watched this shifting kaleidoscope while it changed into 
every imaginable shape. The line of sand-beach became rough, and 
M'aves like those seen on the intervening bay seemed to roll along 
the shore. The opposite shore ran up massive columns, supporting 
a stupendous entablature, which grew wider at the top, tlieu changed 
and represented beautiful waterfalls or precipitous bluffs. This 
would give place to a city, whose magnificent buildings would ap- 
pear to rock, then rising, would remain a moment suspended high 
in air, then disappear while another picture was forming on the 
water's level. A gentle breeze was blowing at the time, and the day 
was warm and clear. " 

Various Kesorts. — The following is a list of notable places, with 
their distances and directions from Santa Cruz, and their main 
attractions : 

Isbell Grove, 2 miles N. E. Picnics. 

Wood's Lagoon, 1 mile E. Bathing. 

Mason's Grove, 5 miles N. E. Picnics; camping, 

Ord's Grove, 6 miles E. Picnics ; bathing. 

Aptos Beach, 6 miles E. Bathing. 

Hihns Grove, 4^ nfiles N. E. Picnics. 

Corcoran 's Lagoon, 2^ nules E. Duck Hunting. 

Soquel Beach, 4 miles E. Camping ; bathing. 

Meder's Grove, 4 miles N. W. Picnics. 

Moore's Beach, 22 miles W. Natural Bridge. 

The Natural Bridge, 5 miles W. Scenery. 

Scott's Creek, 16 miles W. Camping; hunting. 

Scott's Falls, 19 miles W. Scenery. 

Laguna Falls, 10 miles W. Scenery. 

Scott's Fall is 85 feet high, and has a large quantity of water in 
wet seasons. The Laguna fall is GO feet high. On the bank of ScoH 
Creek, a grove of laurel trees, said to be the largest in California, 
is a beautiful camp ground. Two miles up the creek is a redwood 
tree, 18 feet in diameter. Aptos has a fine hotel. 

Three miles from Glenwood Station on the South Pacific Coast 
Pailroad, and 7 from the ocean, in a beautiful little valley, closed in 
by mountains, is the Summer Home Farm, formerly called the 
Strawl^erry Valley. The post-othce address of the proprietor is J. 
\Y . De Wolfe, Glenwood. 



116 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

Monterey. — Monterey County, 100 miles long and 33 wide, has 
many attractions for pleasure-seekers. It has a long bay which 
abounds with tish, and is well fitted for yachting; a beautiful beach 
suitable for bathing, and rich in sea mosses ; three old missions ; 
several peaks that command extensive views; numerous mineral 
springs; attractive groves and pleasant drives ; excellent accommo- 
dations for pleasure-seekers, whether rich or poor; and convenient 
communication, by land and sea, with San Francisco. 

The picnic grounds preferred by the people of Salinas, are in Alisal 
Canyon, 8 miles distant, and in Gabilan Canyon. 

Gabilan Peak, 2,780 feet high, rises like a cone high above the 
adjacent ridge, and commands an extensive view of the Salinas and 
San Benito Valleys. 

Paraiso Springs, 1,000 feet above the sea, 6 miles from Soledad, 
are in an umbrageous canyon, in which there are beautiful drives. 

Town of Monterey — The town of Monterey is one of the most 
interesting in California. It was the capital of the territory pre- 
vious to the American conquest, and here the authority of the 
United States was first establislied, July 7th, 1846. The houses are 
mostly of adobe ; and many of the inhabitants are of Spanish blood. 
The climate of Monterey is nearly the same as that of San Fran- 
cisco, though the winds are not quite so strong, because there is no 
gap like that at the Straits of Carquinez, in the Coast Range, to let 
them through into the great interior valley. The summer tempera- 
ture is well adapted to the wants of residents, of the warm valleys 
of the interior, who find a change by coming to the breezes and fogs 
of the beach; while those who live near the ocean can obtain theirs, 
by going to the inland resorts. 

Monterey (proves, — This vicinity is noted for its groves of in- 
digenous cypress and pine trees, which are now favorite ornamental 
trees in the valleys of California. Both trees are handsome, hardy 
and quick of growth. The Monterey cypress (which is not found 
indigenous anywhere, save in the small grove south-west of the town, 
bears much trimming and can be trained into low hedges or high 
walls. The two, pine and cypress, groves are near together, but each 
kind keeps by itself. At the outer end of the Pine Grove, four 
miles west of town, is Point Pinos, with a light-house. Two miles 
south of it is the Moss Beach, where there is a strip of sand nearly 
half a mile wide, between the lines of high and low tide, and here 
great quantities and many varieties of alga> or sea moss may be 
found. Beautiful specimens of these mosses, dried and pressed out, 
can be bought in the town. At the southern end of the Moss 
Beach is the Seal Bock, where seals bask in the sun every summer 
day. 
/ Hotel Del Monte. — The most interesting feature of the town of 
Monterey, for the tourist, is the Hotel del Monte, erected by the capi- 
talists of the Southern Pacific Pvailroad Company for the accommoda- 
tion of visitors. It is one of the most complete buildings on the con- 



CENTRAL CALIITORNIAi 117 

tinent for the accommodation of pleasure-seekers. The length is 
385 feet, the width, 115; the height, 3 stories. There are accommo- 
dations for 400 guests. The hotel has its own gas works, and is 
supplied with water from its own artesian well. The grounds of the 
hotel have an area of 100 acres, partly in beautiful garden and lawn, 
and the remainder wooded with oak, pine and cypress trees. Near 
by, and under the same ownership, arc 7,000 acres of land, through 
which there are fine roads, open to the patrons of the hotel. A 
bathing pavilion contains four tanks, each 50 feet long and 30 wide. 
These are tilled with salt water which is heated to a temperature of 
about 70^ There are also separate bathrooms. The whole estab- 
lishment is managed in the best style, and it has done much to 
attract great numbers of visitors to Monterey. The hotel is within 
a few yards of the beach, so that those who prefer to bathe in the 
ocean need not tire themselves by walking to reach it. 

Facilic Grove Retreat.— A peculiar institution of Monterey is 
the Facilic Grove Retreat, a permanent camp ground, where hun- 
dreds of people spend months every summer, in tents and lodging 
houses. The site is near the beach in a grove of Monterey pines, 
about two miles west from the town. The retreat had its origin in 
a Methodist camp meeting. The participants were so well pleased 
with their first experience there, that they formed an association, 
obtained control of the land, and made arrangements to spend some 
months tliere every summer. Lodging houses, a restaurant, and a 
chapel were built, and lots were leased to campers. The property 
is now under the control of the Pacific Improvement Company, which 
pursues the same general policy as that originally adopted by the 
Evangelical Association; and the "moral and prudential manage- 
ment," is still subject to a board of clerical gentlemen. No wines, 
no gambling, and no sea bathing on Sunday are permitted. There 
are sermons and Sunday-school on Sunday, and a devotional spirit is 
prominent. Furnished tents are provided for those who wish to live 
cheaply ; and lots are leased or sold to those who prefer to provide 
shelter of their own. The beach in front of the grounds is beautiful. 
Bathing suits and boats can be hired and croquet grounds and 
swings, can be used without charge. Coaches run from the Grove 
to the town, at least four times every day, to carry those who do 
not wish to walk. The plan of this "Christian Seaside Resort," as 
it is called by the proprietors, has been a decided success. 

Carmel Mission. — Four miles south of Monterey, in the valley 
of the Carmel River, is the Mission of San Carlos, founded by Juni- 
per© Serra, June 3, 1770. This was the second mission founded in 
what is now California, and being considered the most important, 
was the place where the president of the missions resided. The 
mission church, built of sandstone, is now in ruins. Here Serra 
died in 1784, and in the mission church he was buried. The Mission 
of San Antonio, founded July 14, 1771, and that of Soledad, founded 
October 9, 1791, have nothing of much interest to strangers. 



118 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

San Benito, — The most intei-esting place to tourists in San Benito 
is San Juan, which has the ]\lission of San Juan Bautista. The 
cliurch was one of the largest built in California, under the dominion 
of Spain, is one of the best preserved, and noted for its long arched 
corridor. It was founded June 17, 1797. 

San Lnis Obispo. — San Luis Obispo is a large county fronting on 
the Pacific, from latitude 34° 55' to 35^ 50'. Having no good harljor 
and not being connected by rail with the remainder of the State, it 
occupies a secluded position, and for that reason the development of 
its resources have been delayed. The chief points of interest to 
tourists in the county are the missions of San Luis Obispo and San 
Miguel, and the Paso Robles Hot Springs. The Mission of San 
Luis Obispo was founded September 1, 1772, in a fertile valley about 
8 miles from the ocean, Junipero Serra, President of the Missions, 
ofiiciating as master of ceremonies at the consecration. -St. Louis, 
Bishop of Toulouse, a saint of the Franciscan order, supplied the 
name — obispo being the Spanish for bisliop. The Mission of San 
Miguel in the Salinas Valley, was founded in 1797. The Paso Pob- 
les Springs are mentioned in the chapter on mineral springs. 

Favorite resorts for the people of San Luis Obispo County, are the 
Pecho and Xewsom Sulphur Springs. Though in different direc- 
tions, both places are about 15 miles from the county sccit; both 
are in deep canyons with pleasant shade ; both have a temperature 
of about 100" in the warmest spring; and neither has a hotel. 
The Pecho Springs have a bath-house and attract many campers 
every summer. 

The distance from Los Angeles by way of San Buenaventura, 
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, to Soledad, the southern ter- 
minus of the Southern Pacific Pailroad, in Monterey County, is 315 
miles, and stages give travelers an opportunity to see the country. 
From San Luis, the distances are 115 miles to Salinas; 100 to Santa 
Barbara, and 200 to Los Angeles. 

San Joaquin Valley. — The most interesting places in the San 
Joaquin Valley are Stockton, its chief city, which does a large business 
in buying, storing and selling wheat ; Fresno, with many irrigated or- 
chards and vineyards, and Bakersfield, in a large district irrigated from 
Kern River, and cultivated in alfalfa, grain and fruit. At the southern 
end of the valley, and 3,000 feet above the sea, is the "Loop" in the 
Southern Pacific Railroad, which there completely encircles the top 
of a hill, and crosses its own track. That is, the track passes through 
a tunnel, and, after making a bend, 3,800 feet long, runs over that 
tunnel, the upper track being 78 feet above the level of the lower 
one. In mountainous countries the railroads are very crooked, but 
this loop is the only place where a railroad, in its windings, has 
crossed its om'u track. 

3Iarin. — Marin County forms the peninsula between the northern 
arm of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific, and has an area of 507 
square miles, mostly mountainous, and much of it covered with red- 



CEXTKAL CALIFORNIA. 110 

wood timber. It iibouiids with wild and shady can^ ons, and contains 
numerous places in favor with the San Franciscans, for picnicing 
and rusticating parties. Its most noted resorts are Saucelito, San 
Rafael, liolinas, Camp Taylor, Lagunitas Station, Lagunitas Keser- 
voir, Blithedale, the summit of J\It. Tamalpais, Olema and Bear 
Valley. 

Saucelito.— Saucelito, because of its proximity, and because it 
attracts more visitors than any other portion of the county, must be 
mentioned first. It is a village built on the side of steep hills, which 
are covered with a dense growth of scrub oaks, laurel and other 
trees. The canyons are visited l.)y picnic parties. The yacht clubs 
of San Francisco have their club houses at Saucelito ; and row-boats 
are kept for hire to people wdio want to exercise their muscles. 

Point Boilit.a.— Point Bonita, or the north head at the outer 
limit of the Golden Gate, has a light-house and a siren or fog-horn, 
which sounds its warning when the entrance of the harbor is hidden 
by fog. The place can be reached from Saucelito by two roads. 
The first, a horse trail 4 miles long, starts southward and follows the 
water ; the second, a wagon road 7 miles, starts northward from 
Saucelito. The latter route is closed by a gate, which will not be 
opened without a permit from Mr. Throckmorton, o^vner of the land. 

San Rafael. — The chief town of Marin County, San Rafael, a 
beautiful place, near the north-eastern base of Mt. Tamalpais, is 15 
miles from San Francisco, and can be reached by boat and rail, 
either by way of Saucelito or of San Quentin. Being sheltered 
by the mountains, it has little wind or fog, and having beautiful 
natural scenery, as well as many elegant dwellings and gardens, and 
pleasant people, it is a favorite summer residence for San Franciscans, 
who come and go every day. The drives in the vicinity of the town, 
are very romantic, especially on the roads to Ross Valley, (over the 
hill), to Nicasio, (by the northern route), to White's Hill and to the 
Lagunitas Reservoir. San Rafael was the site of a Franciscan Mis- 
sion, established in 1817, to convert the Indians. The mission 
buildings have now disappeared. 

lamalpais. — Mt. Tamalpais, one of the prominent features of 
the landscape of San Francisco Bay, and the most notable peak in 
Marin County, is 2,G04 feet high, and 15 miles from the city in a 
direct line. As seen from the eastward, it looks like a cone, but 
when observed from high ground, to the northward, it appears as 
the steep western end of a level ridge. A wagon road between San 
Rafael and Bolinas crosses this ridge, about 8 miles from the peak, 
which can not be reached by a wagon at present, though a road will, 
doubtless, be built to it within a few years. Tourists now go to the 
top afoot or on horseback. The distance by the road and horse 
trail, from San Kafael is 11 miles. The best time for tlie trip is in 
February or Marcli, or soon as the roads are dry enough for con- 
venient travel. The route leads through canyons without extensive 
views, but is beautiful in the early spring, by the variety of the forms 



120 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

and tints of the foliage on the creek banks and hill sides. The deep 
rich green of the laurel, loading the air with the pungent perfume 
of its lemon-colored blooms, the ceanothus often hiding its verdure 
under the luxuriance of its wild lilac flowers, the manzanita showing 
white and pink blossoms intermingled with its greyish green leaves, 
the evergreen oak, the Christmas berry bush, the dark redwood and 
the light green madroiio, all evergreens, are the predominant fea- 
tures in the vegetation ; deciduous trees and plants, bare of leaves 
at this season, being comparatively rare. The wild gooseberry, how- 
ever, is in bloom ; the buckeye has opened its leaf buds, and the 
wild hazel has hung out its catkins as signs that spring is here. 
Wild flowers of many kinds appear also, though not in such num- 
bers as to hide the grass. To the Lagunitas Reservoir, 8 miles from 
San Rafael, there is a wagon road ; the remainder of the distance is 
over a trail or bridle path, in many places steep, leading through 
chaparral. About 3 hours are usually spent between San Rafael and 
the summit. 

We look down on an area of at least 5,000 square miles, includ- 
ing the City and Bay of San Francisco, and the rich Alameda plain. 
The proximity of the most interesting features of the landscape, 
enables us to see them distinctly. The prospect in every direction 
is interesting. No other point commands so good a birdseye view 
of the bay and its surroundings. The ocean for fifty miles out, the 
Farallones, Point Reyes, Tomales Bay, the northern part of Marin 
County, much of Sonoma and Napa, Mount St. Helena, a snow- 
covered mountain (probably Mt. St. John), just at the western point 
of St. Helena, another long snow mountain, ten degrees further 
west (probably Mt. Sanhedrim, which, as well as Mt. St. John, is 
100 miles from Tamalpais), the towns of Napa and Vallejo, Car- 
quinez Straits, Suisun Bay, Mt. Diablo, Oakland, the southern arm 
of San Francisco Bay, the city, Mt. San Bruno and the ocean beach, 
make up the circle, while the Golden Gate, Richardson's Cove, Rac- 
coon Strait, Angel Island, and the south end of Marin County seem 
to be at our feet. 

Tamalpais means the country of the Tamal Indians, who also sup- 
plied the name to Tomales Bay. Pais is the Spanish for country. 

Various Resorts. — The favorite picnic grounds near San Rafael, 
are Laurel Grove, 2 miles to the south-eastward; Fairfax Park, 4 
miles to the westward, and the banks of the Lagunitas Creek, near 
the Lagunitas Station, on the North Pacific Coast Railroad. Tay- 
lorville, 16 miles from San Rafael, will be mentioned in the chapter 
on Camping. Bolinas, reached by stage from Saucelito or San 
Rafael, is a favorite resort for fishermen, hunters and campers. The 
camp ground is among some willows on the eastern shore of Bolinas 
Bay. There are attractive camp grounds near Olema, and in 
Bear Valley. Blithedale is the name of a summer resort kept by 
Mrs. H. R. Gushing, in a small valley at the south-eastern base of 
Mt. Tamalpais. five miles from Saucelito. The situation is pleasant 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 121 

and the house is well kept. From the Summit Station, 5 miles from 
Saucelito, the distance to Blithedale is 2^ miles, and there, Mrs. 
Cushing's wagon receives and delivers visitors. Her post-office ad- 
dress is Saucelito. 

Sonoma. — Sonoma, fronting on San Pablo Bay, and also on the 
Pacific Ocean, is one of the most interesting counties of California. 
It is drained by Russian River, and Petaluma and Sonoma Creeks, 
each of which has a valley, and enclosing mountains with peculiar 
beauties. Sonoma Valley is noted for its vineyards, Petaluma Val- 
ley for its wheat and dairies, and the western shore of the county 
for its redwoods. Within its limits are the Calif ornian Geysers, the 
Sonoma, or as it is sometimes called the Calistoga Petrified Forest, 
and many noted mineral springs. 

The Geysers. — The Geysers of Sonoma County are 101 miles by 
each of the two commonly traveled routes from San Francisco, and 
the hotel is 1,692 feet above the sea. They are situated on a branch 
of the Pluton River which empties into Russian River. The Clover- 
dale stage road to the Geysers has 17 miles of distance and 1,400 
feet of ascent ; the Calistoga Road has 28 miles of distance, 2,900 
feet of ascent and 1,300 of descent. The former is the easier and 
more expeditious route. Both roads are remarkable for the depth, 
steepness and crookedness of the canyons, on the sides of which the 
narrow roads wind their way. The declivities are nearer to the 
vertical line on the Cloverdale route, but when the horses are going 
at a rapid pace down hill, over a road so narrow, that in many 
places there is not room for two wagons to pass, even on the Calis- 
toga road, many travelers prefer not to look into the canyon, and 
are glad when they arrive safely at the hotel. 

The word "geyser," is defined in Webster's Dictionary, to be **a 
fountain which spouts forth boiling water," and there is no such 
fountain in Sonoma County. The Geysers of the Pluto basin are a 
collection of hundreds of springs, many of them scalding hot, most 
of them strongly flavored with various minerals, differing in their 
flavors as in their temperatures, and accompanied by blow holes, 
from which hot steam and sulphurous vapors arise. They are found 
on what may be considered a solfatara, the soil of which is hot 
over an area of about a quarter of a mile square. The springs are 
mostly in the bottom of ravines, while the blow holes, from some of 
which large quantities of steam issue with a roaring noise, are on 
the hill sides. With the steam, come vapors which deposit sulphur 
and other substances on the mouths of the outlets. George David- 
son wrote thus of the Geysers : "descending from the hotel about 
75 feet, we first meet the spring of iron, sulphur, and soda, temper- 
ature 73°. The first spring going up the Geyser gulch is the tepid 
alum and iron incrusted, temperature 97°, and with a very heavy 
iridescent incrustation of iron, which forms in a single night. 
Twenty feet from this, we pass the medicated geyser bath, temper- 
ature 88^ and containing ammonia, epsom salts, magnesia, sulphur. 



122 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

iron, etc. We collected crystals of epsom salts two inches in length. 
Higher up, the spring of boiling alum and sulphur has a temperature 
of 156°; so, also, the black sulphur, quite near it. 

"The epsom salts spring has a temperature of ll:Q°, and within ' 
6 feet of it is a spring of iron, sulphur and salts, at the boiling point. 
Soon we came upon the Boiling Black Sulphur Spring, roaring and 
tearing continually. As we wander over rock, heated ground and thick 
deposits of sulphur, salts, ammonia, tartaric acid, magnesia, etc. , we 
try our thermometer in the geyser stream, a combination of every 
kind of medicated \v ater, and tind it rises up to 102^ The Witches' 
Cauldron is over 7 feet in diameter, of unknown depth. The con- 
tents are thrown up about 2 or 3 feet high, in a state of great ebul- 
lition, semi-liquid, blacker than ink, and contrast wdth the vol- 
umes of vapor arising; temperature, 195^ Opposite is a boiling 
alum spring, very strongly impregnated; temp. 176^. Within 
12 feet is an intermittent scalding spring, from which issue streams 
and jets of boiling water. We have seen them ejected over 15 feet. 
But the glory of all is the Steamboat Geyser, resounding like a high- 
pressure seven- boiler boat, blowing ofif steam, so heated as to be in- 
visible until it is 6 feet from the mouth. Just above this, the gulch 
divides; up the left or western one are many hot springs, but the 
scalding steam iron bath is the most important; temperature, 183\ 
One hundn^d and fifty feet above all apparent action we found a 
smooth, tenacious, plastic, beautiful clay; temperature, 167°. From 
this point you stand and overlook the ceaseless action, the roar, steam, 
groans, and bubbling of a hundred boiling medicated springs, while 
the steam ascends 100 feet above them all. Following the usually 
traveled path, we pass over the mountain of fire, with its hundred 
orifices, th«}nce through the alkali lake ; then we pass cauldrons of 
black, siilphurous bojling water, some moving and spluttering with 
violent ebullition. One white sulphur spring we found quite clear, 
and up to the boiling point. 

"On every foot of ground we had trodden, the crystalline pro- 
ducts of this unceasing chemical action abounded. Alum, magnesia, 
tartaric acid, epsom salts, ammonia, nitre, iron and sulphur abounded. 
At thousands of orifices you find hot, scalding steam escaping and 
forming beautiful deposits of arrowy sulphur crystals. Our next 
visit carried us up the Pluton, on the north bank, past the oveur., 
hot with escaping steam, to the eye-water boiling spring, celebrated 
for its remedial efi"ects upon all manner of inflamed and weak eyes. 
Quite close to it is a very concentrated alum spring, temperature, 
73°. Higher up is a sweetish ii'on and soda spring, 15 feet by 8 ; 
and 12 feet above are the cold soda and iron spring, incrusted with 
iron, with a deposit of soda, strong, tonic and inviting; temperature, 
56°. It is 12 feet by 5, and afi"ords a large supply. The Pluton in 
the shade was 61°, with many fine pools for bathing, and above for 
trout-fishing. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 123 

"The Indian Springs are nearly a mile down tlie canyon. The 
boiling water comes out clear as ice. This is the old medicated 
spring, where many a poor aborigine has been carried over the 
mountains to have the disease driven out of him by these powerful 
waters. On its outer wall runs a cold stream of pure water, tem- 
perature, CO', and another water impregnated with iron and alum; 
temperature, 68". It is beautifully and romantically situated. 
Chalybeate and sulphur waters have completely taken away our 
rheumatism," 

The Geysers have generally been considered the greatest wonder 
of California after the Yosemite, and have attracted a large number 
of visitors, many of whom find less to interest them in tlie springs 
and steam vents, than in the drives from Cloverdale and Calistoga. 
The hotel and springs are in a narrow canyon, where the summer 
heat is intense, and therefore the stay has usually been brief. In 
1881, however, a party of fashionable people spent months there, and 
returned with favorable reports of their experiences. 

Petrified Forest. — Not far from the border of Napa County, and 
nearer to Calistoga than to any other town, but in Sonoma County, 
and on a mountain about 1,500 feet above the sea, and in the midst 
of oak, lir, and other timber, is the Petrified Forest, a name given 
to a region about 4 miles long and a mile wide, over which are 
scattered the fragments of perhaps 100 petrified "trees. In many 
cases nothing is left of a tree save numerous chips ; or piles of petri- 
fied fragments, somewhat like heaps of firewood in small pieces. 
Besides these separated fragments, there are -portions of about a 
dozen trunks, some of them partly buried in the ground, the largest 
being about 50 feet long and 6 feet through. All are broken by 
numerous transverse fractures. The cii'cumstances indicate that a 
flood of volcanic sand mixed with water, flowed into the ancient 
forest, and buried it to a depth of perhaps 40 or 50 feet ; that the 
sand hardened into rock ; that the trees above the rock decayed and 
disappeared ; that the trunks enclosed in the rock decayed and were 
replaced by deposits of stony matter; that, in the course of ages, 
the sandstone, surrounding the trunks, and some of the soil under 
them, was washed away gradually; that the petrified trunks 
left without support, fell down and broke transversely by the 
shock ; that a new forest grew up about them ; and that by the 
continuation of erosion, the material of many of these trunks, was 
moved from the places in which it fell, so that nothing can now be 
found of them save scattered fragments. There is neither a cluster 
of petrified trunks near together, nor an erect petrified trunk. The 
chief attraction is one trunk, about 50 feet long and G feet through. 
A microscopic examination has shown that this tree was akin to the 
redwood, which grows now in the vicinity. 

VolCiinic Overflows. — The north-eastern portion of Sonoma was 
the scene of great volcanic activity in a recent geological era. 
There was evidently a crater near the site of the present Geyser 



124 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

Canyon. The mountain on the east side of Sonoma and Santa Rosa 
Valleys is made up, to a large extent, of volcanic sandstone; while 
the mountain west of Sonoma Valley is covered with basalt, which, 
in several places, has columnar crystallizations. All the higher 
hills, west of Petaluma and Prussian Rivers, are covered with 
volcanic rock, and it is to be presumed that the sites now occupied 
by the ridge between Sonoma and Napa Valleys, and by that east 
of Napa, were valleys which were filled up by volcanic streams. 
These formed rocks harder than the older hills, the sandstone of 
which was gradually eroded, so that the place, which was hill before 
the period of the greatest volcanic activity, became valley afterwards. 
It is not to be supposed that the land was a level plain when the 
great eruptions of the volcanoes at Mt. St. Helena, Clear Lake and 
the Geysers, occurred. Nor if there were then valleys and inter- 
vening hills, is it likely that the lava would run on the hill tops, 
where we now find it, and spare the fertile valleys where we 
find none. The Table Mountain in Stanislaus and Tuolumne 
Counties is a hill of basalt, 30 miles long and half a mile 
wide, covering the bed of the dead Stanislaus River, a stream, 
which, in a former geological age, occupied a position near 
that of the present Stanislaus River. The lava, seeking the 
lowest levels, usurped the bed of the ancient river, and, being 
harder than the slate of the adjacent hills, has, after many ages, 
been left by erosion, standing above the general level of the sur- 
rounding country. The dead river was rich in gold, and the miners 
by following auriferous gravel in its bed, have proved conclusively, 
that the long mountain of basalt occupies the place of a stream. 
Sonoma Valley. — The town of Sonoma in the beautiful valley of 
the same name, is interesting as one of the chief seats of grape cul- 
ture in Calif ornia, and also as the site of the first town laid off north 
of the Golden Gate. In 1835, the Mexican Government, fearing 
that the Russians intended to enlarge their settlement at Fort Ross, 
ordered M. G. Vallejo, commandant of the northern frontier, to select 
a site and establish a town north of San Pablo Bay — Sonoma was 
the result. The greater portion of the valley has a soil too poor for 
wheat, but it is well adapted to the vine, with which thousands of 
acres have been planted, so that there are more here, within an 
area 5 miles square, than in any other portion of the State, The 
first discovery of the phylloxera, on our Coast, was made here, and it 
has caused more loss here than anywhere else in California. The 
vineyard now owned by Mr. Johnson, and previously the property 
of the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society, which purchased from Col. 
Agaston Haraszthy, was at one time the largest in the State, and 
had 400 acres in vines, but many have been dug up on account of 
the phylloxera, and others are not productive. The wine cellars are 
tunnels, dug into the hill of volcanic sandstone. If the town and its 
vicinity were more conveniently accessible from San Francisco, they 
i^ould have greater promiQeiice as pleasure resorts. 



CENTKAL CALIFORNIA. 125 

The Mission at Sonoma was founded in 1822, and was called the 
Mission of San Francisco Solano. Having been established after 
Mexico threw off the Spanish dominion, under a government which 
never enjoyed the full sympathy of the ecclesiastics, and never sup- 
plying them liberally wdth funds, it never rose to much importance. 
The buildings were of adobe, and most of them are in riiins. Gen. 
Vallejo lias a pleasant home on the outskirts of the town. 

Russian River. — Russian River, though the largest Califomian 
stream opening directly into the ocean, south of latitude 40°, is 
closed through most of tlie year by a bar, thrown up across its 
mouth by the sea. Over this bar travelers can walk dry-shod, while 
the waters of the river, standing somewhat higher than the sea, 
soak through the sand. Salmon in their spawning season, come up 
to the edge of the beach, as if they intended to jump across the bar 
into the river. They doubtless taste the fresh water and think they 
should be able to follow it up. The lower portion of the stream has 
dense forests of redwood on both sides, and Duncan's Mill, on the 
bank of the river, is the end of an excursion, which hundreds of peo- 
ple make every summer by railroad, 80 miles from San Francisco. 
The valley of Austin Creek, a tributary of Russian River, attracts 
many campers. 

(xuerneville. — At the end of a branch of the San Francisco and 
North Pacific Railroad, on the bank of Russian River, is a magnifi- 
cent redwood grove, which is a favorite with camping parties. There 
are excellent bathing and fishing grounds in the vicinity. 

Fort Ross. — There are pleasant camp grounds near Fort Ross, 
on the shore of the Pacific, in latitude 38"" 30'. The place derives 
its name from a trading and fishing station, which the Russians 
established there, with the consent of Spain in 1814, and which they 
abandoned in 1841. The native California called the place " Coscoff 
Russo." 

Sonoma Springs.— Sonoma Valley abounds with sulphur and 
soda springs, of which no analysis is obtainable. Mark West Spring, 
eight miles, and Taylor's Springs three from Santa Rosa, have 
many visitors. Skagg's Springs and Litton Springs are mentioned 
in Chapter IX. 

IVapa Valley. — Napa County, east of Sonoma, and fronting on 
San Pablo Bay, is one of the most interesting portions of our coast. 
Its chief valley, bearing the same name, and drained by a river of 
the same name, 40 miles long and 2 miles wide on the average, is noted 
for fertility and beauty. Lying north of San Francisco, and shut in 
on both sides, by steep mountains, which rise to a height of about 
2,000 feet, it is moister than any valley, of equal size, further south. 
The fertility of its soil, the extensive vineyards at its northern end, 
the beauty of its landscape, the warmth of its summer climate, the 
number of health and pleasure resorts, and the possession of a rail- 
road extending throughout the length of the valley, contributed to 
give to Napa Valley a density of population, a thoroughneaa of culti- 



126 CENTRAL CALlFOrvNIA. 

vation, and an appearance of rural comfort not elsewhere extending 
so far, except in the near vicinity of San Francisco. The Alameda 
plain, Santa Clara Valley, Los Angeles, San Gabriel, Monterey, 
Santa Cruz, San Mateo and San Rafael, are each unequaled in some 
features of their luxuriant gardens, extensive orchards, subtropical 
trees and shrubbery, elegant homes, or pleasant drives, but no one 
of them surpasses Napa in the variety and extent of its attractions. 
Nowhere else in California can the traveler go by rail for 30 miles 
through one unbroken stretch of enchanting landscape, combining 
fertihty of soil, with relatively high tillage; comfortable country 
homes; indigenous and cultivated vegetation most pleasing to the 
eye in color and distribution, and in the distance a majestic frame- 
work of rugged mountains, ridge rising above ridge, with peaks, 
cliffs, grassy slopes, chaparral and deciduous timber, charming in 
their forms and rich in tints that range from grey, brown, green, 
blue and purple in the cool morning, to maroon, garnet, ochre and 
orange in the glowing sunset. On a clear day, from the volcanic 
cone of St. Helena, at the head of the valley to the tule swamps of 
Suscol at its foot, the eye is never out of sight of far-reaching land- 
scapes, that combine fine artistic effects of foreground, middle- 
ground and distance. The towns are Napa City, Yountville, St. 
Helena and Calistoga. Napa, the county seat, 41 miles, by rail, 
from San Francisco, is a thriving town of 4,000 inhabitants, in 
the midst of the valley, there about 2 miles wide, and very fertile. 
It is the place to take a wagon for Napa Soda Springs or Atlas 
Peak. Most of the lowland near tlie town is cultivated in wheat; 
and the hills in the neighborhood have vineyards. At Yountville, 
50 miles from San Francisco, by rail, we come to the grape region of 
the valley, which for the next twenty miles abounds with extensive 
vineyards. 

St. Helena. — St. Helena rivals Sonoma and Los Angeles in the 
number of vines, and x>robably derives from them a larger net in- 
come than either. It is nearer to the market than Los Augeles, and 
lias less phylloxera, and a larger f>roportion of the varieties most 
prized for wine than Sonoma. Among the most noted vineyards 
in the vicinity, are those of Krug, Pellet, Crane, Keyes and 
Schramm. 

The valley being there about a mile wide, and not entirely straight, 
and the ridges on both sides being more than 2,000 feet high, the 
town is almost encircled by mountains which shut out the breezes, 
and give the place a high temperature at midday in the sum.mer. 
Many wealthy San Franciscans have made their liomes there on 
account of the climate and society, and the town is surrounded by 
elegant residences. The White Sulphur Springs, in a little canyon, 
2 miles south-west from St. Helena, was for many years the most 
fashionable summer resort of California. 

St. Helena is the station at which stages are taken for the White 
Sulphur Springs, the Etna Springs, in Pope Valley, and HoweU 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 127 

Mountain, the latter a summer resort and camping place. There 
are 2 roads to Pope Valley ; both through interesting scenery, one 
over the summit of Howell Mountain, and the other round its east- 
em base, through several small valleys. Several wagon roads lead- 
ing up on the mountain side of the west Napa ridge, have interesting 
views. 

Calist02:a, — Calistoga, the terminus of the Napa A^'alley branch 
of the California Pacilic Railroad, and a favorite pleasure resort 
from 1SG() to 1872, though now neglected, has a multitude of hot 
springs, scattered over several hundred acres. There are spots 
within this area, where the ground is wai-med by subterranean heat, 
and l)orings have struck hot water, the temperature at 100 feet from 
the surface, being near the boiling i>oint. Many of the springs give 
off sulphurous vapors so strong, that the wood of one bath house is 
corroded by them ; and they may be the cause of the death of much 
of the ornamental shrubbery, planted out in 18G8 and 1869, on the 
grounds. 

3It. St. Helen.a. — The County has one of its corners on the sum- 
mit of Mt. St. Helena, 4,343 feet high, a notable feature in the 
topography and geology of the State. It is the most southern vol- 
cano in the Coast Range. So long a period has elapsed since its 
activity, that nothing of a crater shape remains, but the superior 
height, nature of its rocks, and abundance and position of eruptive 
material about it, indicate unmistakably that it M-as a great volcano. 
It was, probably, the source from which was derived the eruptive 
rock of the East Napa ridge — that is the ridge east of Napa Valley, 
40 miles long and several miles wide, and perhaps 1000 feet deep. 
Other ridges to the eastward, and apparently derived from the same 
source, have much similar rock. A tunnel is cut through it on the 
line of the Califoi-nia Pacilic Railroad near Cordelia. The West 
Napa ridge is made of the same material, which probably flowed 
from the same \ent. The west Sonoma ridge has a deep covering 
of basalt, not tracealde to any nearer source. 

Mt. St. Helena is visible from San Francisco, presenting a coffin- 
like shape, M'ith a flat top. The distance, by the traveled route 
from the city is 85 miles, including 73 by ferry boat and rail, to 
Calistoga ; the remaining 12 on horseback. The tourist follows the 
stage road to Clear Lake, 7 miles to the summit of the pass, where 
he turns to the left, ascending on the south-western side of the 
mountain. There are four peaks almost on a level, and separated by 
slight depressions, the most northerly being the highest. The view 
is extensive. Knight's Valley to the north-west, various valleys in 
the basin of Putah Creek to the east, and Napa Valley to the south, 
comprise most of the lowland visible ; but beyond them are numer- 
ous mountains, including Geyser Peak, Uncle Sam, Mt. St. John 
and Snow Mountain to the northward, and Diablo and Tamal- 
pais southward in the Coast Range, while the summit of the Sierra 
is visible for 200 miles, from Mt. Lassen southward. It is said that 



128 CEKTHAL CALIFORNIA. 

on exceptionally clear days Mt. Shasta can be seen, but usually it is 
not visible. San Francisco Bay and much of its shore line, can be 
seen dimly in the distance. 

East Kapa Eidge. — Howell Mountain, the summit of which is 
7 miles north-eastward from the town of St. Helena, has 5 square 
miles of nearly level land, at an elevation of 1,800 feet above the 
sea, the largest body of level land on a mountain in the Coast Range. 
This elevated plateau, possessing much good soil, a pleasant stream 
of water, numerous springs and abundant timber, is a favorite place 
for camping. The boarding-house of Mr. Anguin (whose post-oflBce 
address is St. Helena, ) is full every summer. The soil, formed by 
the decomposition of a volcanic tufaceous rock, is, accordmg to 
Prof. Hilgard, well-fitted for wine grapes, and many vines have 
been set out there recently. Frosts are severe on the mountain in 
the spring, but are very rare in the fall, and tomato vines have con- 
tinued to thrive in the open air till February. The mountain has 
pleasant drives on its summit, and it is surrounded by attractive 
places. It is part of the East Napa Ridge, about 5 miles south of 
Blake's, and about 8 from Atlas Peak, on the same ridge. Those 
two places are the only elevated points on the Coast Mountains of 
California, where observations of relative humidity have been made 
regularly for a year, and as the figures, as explained in Chapter II, 
prove, that for persons sufi"ering with plumonary diseases, the cli- 
mate is better there than at any health resort elsewhere, so far as 
can be ascertained from published statistics. The IS apa Soda Springs 
is on the same ridge. Atlas Peak has a summer boarding-house, 
kept by A. P. Evans, whose post-office is Napa City ; and the drive 
from that place to his house is a pleasant one. Dr. James Blake, an 
able and learned physician, has a beautiful farm and a house for the 
reception of invalids on the ridge, twelve miles from Calistoga. 

The Napa Soda Springs are situated 1,200 feet above the sea, on 
the western side of the East Napa Mountain Ridge, in the midst of 
pleasant scenery, and in a chmate unsurpassed for health or comfort. 
They are only 5 miles from Atlas Peak, which was recommended by 
the State Board of Health, in 1880, as the best site for a State Hos- 
pital for consumptives. For asthma, bronchitis and pulmonary 
complaints generally, the atmospheric conditions are excellent. A 
commodious hotel offers its accommodations to guests, and many 
pleasant people have adopted it as their favorite resort for summer 
rustication. Skaggs' Spriugs, the Pacific Congress Springs, the 
Summit Soda, the Etna, the Adams, and the Wilhoit have good 
hotels, and they are visited every year by many people for pleasure 
as well, by others, for health. 

Solano. — Solano is a large and rich county, but has few pleasure 
resorts. The Vallejo White Sulphur Springs, 3 miles from Vallejo 
and five from Benicia, have a mild, tepid sulphur water, of which 
there is no obtainable analysis. The scenery in the vicinity is 
pleasant; the grounds are planted with numerous trees for shade. 



CENTEAL CALIFORNIA. 129 

ornament and fruit ; the hotel is commodious, and there are bath- 
houses. About 6 miles from Suisun, at the head of Green Valley, 
in a shady canyon, is a little waterfall, about 60 feet high. It is a 
beautiful ]ilace for a picnic. Five miles north-eastward from Vallejo 
is the St. John Quicksilver Mine, which has produced thousands of 
flasks of mercury, but reduced only 80 flasks in 1881. Pieces of the 
ore can be found lying on the surface of the adjacent hills, browned 
on the surface by long exposure to the atmosphere, but when broken 
showing rich red colors on the face of the fracture. The only 
National navy yard on our coast is at Vallejo. 

Lake County. — Lake County, 100 miles north of San Francisco, 
most of its area 1.200 feet or more above the sea, on the eastern 
slope of the Coast Mountains, is, to the tourists, one of the most 
interesting portions of California. Its scenery is romantic; it has 
much game ; and its climate and elevation are considered peculiarly 
favorable for persons sufi"ering with pulmonary diseases. It is said 
that 10,000 persons go to the county every summer, for health and 
jileasure, the principal resorts being Clear Lake, Bartlett Springs, 
Blue Lakes and Harbin's Springs. 

The greater part of the county is volcanic in geological character, 
and the evidences of volcanic action force themselves on the most 
inattentive observer. Mt. St. Helena, at the south-western corner 
of the county, and the Geysers 20 njiles to the north-west, on the 
western line of the county, are dormant volcanoes ; Mt. Uncle Sam, 
near the centre of the county, is the remnant of a crater; there was 
a crater at tlie Sulphur Bank; and there were many others. The 
craters in Lake and adjacent counties, are scattered over an area of 
500 square miles, and the region of the lava rocks from these craters, 
has an area of more than 3,000 square miles. Hot sj)rings, rich m 
sulphur and borax, minerals characteristic of volcanic influences, 
are abundant. At the Sulphur Bank there is a solfatara, through 
the hot earth of which steam and sulphurous gases are constantly 
escaping. Obsidian is found in small fragments and large masses. 
Clear Lake. — Clear Lake is a remarkable body of water, 25 miles 
long, G miles wide, and 1,200 feet above the sea. The signs of vol- 
canic action are to be found on all sides of it, and some writers have 
expressed the opinion that it occupies an ancient crater ; but a cra- 
ter of such vast size, would liave raised a greater mass of volcanic 
material, than is to be found on the soutlierii and south eastern 
shores of the lake. Tlie lake has clear water, beautiful shores, and 
small steamers and sailing vessels, for the accommodation of pleasure 
seekers. The chief town on the shore of the lake, is Lakeport, 32 
miles by stage from Cloverdale. 

liorax Lake. — Half a mile south from the Sulphur Bank is Borax 
Lake, which occupies an area of ten acres, and has no outlet, oc- 
cupying wliat was, apparently, a little crater. The water contains a 
large percentage of borax, and large crystals of crude borax are 
found in its mud. Borax was made here with profit in the dry 



130 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 

year of 1863-4, but after the heavy rains of 1866-7 and 1867-8 the 
works were closed, and have been finally abandoned, in consequence 
of the discovery of the borax deposits in Nevada. 

Tlllirston Lake. — Near the south -w-estern corner of Clear Lake 
is Thurston Lake, a small body of saline water without an outlet. 
Its bed was probably a crater. 

Cobb Valley, — Cobb Valley, about 25 miles northward from 
Calistoga, and 3,000 feet above the sea, is a favorite place for hunters 
and campers. Game is abundant, and the scenery beautiful. 

Blue Lakes. — The Blue Lakes, near the northern end of Clear 
Lake, and 12 miles from Lakeport, a series of three lakes in a 
line, drained by one stream, have an aggregate length of 2^ miles, 
•with a width of half a mile. The greatest depth is 150 feet and the 
average 60 feet. Boating, bathing, fishing and hunting are among 
the common amusements. The scenery in the neighborhood is ro- 
mantic. One of the lakes has a hotel on its shore, for the accommo- 
dation of pleasure-seekers, and the address of the proprietor is 
Theodore Deming, Bertha, Lake County, Cal. 

Snlplliir Bank. — Near the eastern shore of the lake, and 10 miles 
from its southern end is the Sulphur Bank, a solfatara, or mass of 
porous earth, through which, in numerous places, sulphurous vapors 
are continually rising, and near the surface they deposit their sul- 
phur, which forms in beautiful crystals, but they are so deUcate, 
that it is impossible to carry them away without shattering them, so 
that much of their natural beauty is destroyed. In some spots the 
fumes are acrid, like those of sulphurous acid, and elsewhere merely 
offensive, like tliose of rotten eggs. The fumes are warm, and one 
hole dug by the miners is so hot, that the hand cannot bear the heat 
more than a few seconds at a time. In another place, a subterranean 
roai"ing is heard, as if there were a great fire below, and not far off. 
In cold weather, birds and coyotes sometimes discover the warmth 
of the place and enter the excavations, where, if they remain long, 
they arc killed by the poisonous gases. The earth contains so much 
sulphur, that at one time the place caught fire and burned to a 
depth of a foot, but the combustion could not go any deeper for the 
lack of fresh air. This deposit was worked as a sulphur mine from 
1865 till 1870. The surface soil was dug in open excavations, and 
carried on wheelbarrows to a furnace, where the sulphur was driven 
off by heat into an iron receiver, in which it was melted, then 
run into a second pot, where it was purified, then into pine boxes 
ready for the market. Finally, the discovery was made that the 
earth was full of small particles of cinnabar, and was far more val- 
uable for its quicksilver than its sulphur. In 1881, it yielded 11,000 
flasks or 415 tons of quicksilver. 

Bartlett Springs. — The Bartlett Springs, 24 miles in a direct 
line westward from the railroad station of Williams, in the Sacra- 
mento Valley, and 35 miles by the wagon road, is one of the most 
noted health resorts of California. There is a hotel with acconnno- 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 131 

dutions for 100 persona, besides 100 cabins "Rliich are occupied in 
the summer by campers. The situation is 2,300 feet above the sea. 
Xo analysis of the water has been published. 

Adams Sprinars. — The Adams Springs, near Cobb Valley, at an 
elevation of nearly 3,000 feet above the sea, have a hotel with room 
for 100 guests. The water has been analyzed, and is of fine alkaline 
character. 

Harbin's Springs. — Harbin's Springs have a hotel and a large 
patronage. They are 1,500 feet above the sea, and are 20 miles by 
stage from Calistoga. Richard Williams is the proprietor. 

Uisriiland Springs. — The Highland Spi-ings are 30 miles from 
Clover dale, 7 from Lakeport, and 1,700 feet above tlie sea. The 
hotel has accommodations for 100 guests. The scenery in the vicinity 
is varied and pleasing. The address is Dr. C. M. Bates, Highland 
Springs. 

Other Lake County Sprinars. —Other mineral springs in I>ake 
County are the Allen, (3 miles from the Bartlett), the Wetter, the 
Bradshaw, the Siblet, the Sulphur, the Siegler, (John Spaulding, 
proprietor), and the Howard, (Mrs. A. Heisch, proprietor), about 
which we have no further information. No analysis of the water of- 
any of them is known to ns. 

Mendocino. — Mendocino Count}', extending from the main sum- 
mit of the Coast Range to the Pacific, and from latitude 38' 48' to 
40°, has a scanty population, much timber, and excellent hunting 
grounds and fishing streams. Among the favorite resorts of camp- 
ing parties, are Mt. Sanhedrim and Leonard's Lake. The last is a 
beautiful sheet of water, a mile and a half long and half a mile wide, 
about 20 miles north-westward from Ukiah. Its wateris fresh though 
it has no perceptible outlet. Sanhedrim is a high peak, with much 
game near its base. The rocks on the ocean shore have caves, v.hich 
are supposed to extend inland a mile or more on a level with the 
sea ; one of these cavities, 30 feet high at its mouth, near Big Liver, 
was followed for half a mile in a boat by some adventurous wien, 
without finding its end. The beating of the surf at the mouth of 
these caves, called blowhole.?, is heard far inland. Near the south- 
eastern corner of the county is the Sanel Spring, the analysis of 
which is given in the Chapter on Mineral Springs. 

Hnmboldt. — Humboldt County, north of Mendocino, has similar 
advantages for hunting and fishing, but has no noted mineral springs 
or resorts much in favor with pleasure-seekers, unless they are 
hunters or fishermen. 

Sacramento, — Sacramento City on the eastern bank of the Saci-a- 
monto River, the chief inland railroad centre of California, and the 
Capital of the State, is a city of 20,000 inhabitants. The State 
Capitol, erected at a cost of §3,000,000 is its most imposing structure, 
and, from the top of its dome, 220 feet high, an extensive view can 
be had of the Sierra Xevada and Coast Mountains, and also of ad- 
jacent portions of the Sacramento Valley. In the building are the 



132 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 



State Library and MIneralogical Museum, as well as the Halls of 
tne Legislature, antl the Chambers of the State Supreme Court. 
Eastward from the city is the site of Sutter's Fort, of which nothing 
is now left. The principal pleasure drive extends four miles south- 
ward along the eastern bank of the river to Riverside. East Park 
and the Capitol Park are other favorite* resorts. 




CALIFOTiXIA .STATE CAPrrOL 

Tehama. — Tehama, Mhich extends across the Sacramento Valley, 
near its head, has numerous places of summer resort, near its western 
border. Among these are the Tuscan Springs, Hensley Springs, 
Sulphur Springs, and Toomes' Camp, which latter place is 5,000 feet 
above the sea, and 35 miles south-Avest from Eed Bluff. 

The Foot Hills. — The lower portion of the Sierra Nevada, within 
2,000 feet of the level of the sea, generally designated as the Foot 
Hills, abounds with beautiful places, well adapted to orchards and 
vineyards, of which great numbers are found there. This region 
contained tlie richest of the shallow placers, which still produce 
several millions of gold annually. There are few j)laces -where the 
travelers can ascend the Avestern slope of the Sierra, between the 
Tuolumne and Feather Rivers, without observing the miners, white 
men or Chiuese, at work. Their ditches, Humes, sluices, pipes, 
wheels, derricks, and dumps, and the bare si)ots Avhich they have 
left on the hill sides, and the piles of cobble stones along the streams, 
after w^ashing away the lighter material, are prominent features in 
the landscape of the foot hills. vShallow placer mines usually reach 
the summit of their productiveness, within five years after their 
discovery, and then decline rapidly, so that witliin a generation, 
they are reduced to comparative insignificance. Labor in them gen- 



CENTRAL CALIFORNTA. 



133 




butter's saw-mill, coloma. 



134 CENTHAL CALIFORNIA. 

erally receives very poor compensation, but there are chances of rich 
strikes, and the mode of life is independent, so that they continue 
to occupy the energies of thousands of white men as well as of China- 
men. The valuable hydraulic mines, generally, are from 2,000 to 
5,000 feet above the level of the sea. Some of the rich auriferous 
quartz mines are in the foot hills, and there are places ^vithin 1,000 
feet of the sea level, where the racket of the stamps can be heard by 
the traveler. Most of the mining towns present a very dilapidated 
appearance. Fireproof brick buildings are deserted, cabins are in 
ruins, orchards and vineyards are filled with weeds, and the streets 
have been washed away for the sake of the gold. One of the plea- 
santest of the mining towns is Coloma, where gold was discovered 
by James W. Marshall, January 19th, 1848, in the race of Sutter's 
Mill. An engraving of the building, as it was in 1849, appears on 
the precedihg page. The place is now the centre of numerous 
orchards and vineyards. 

Shasta. — Shasta County, at the head of the Sacramento "Valley, 
has much interesting scener3\ An area of 2,000 miles in the eastern 
and northern parts of the county is covered with lava, and the num- 
ber of craters is large. Fall Lake, 2 miles long and half a mile 
wide, is formed by numerous springs in a region surrounded with 
lava. The McCloud River is noted for having a salmon hatching 
establishment, the most productive one on the globe. It turns out 
about 10,000,000 j'oung salmon every year. The trout are abundant 
in the streams of Shasta. 



CHAPTER IV. 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



Territory Included. — The term Southern California — not to be 
confounded with Lower California in Mexico — is generally under- 
stood to mean the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, 
San Bernardino, and San Diego, including an area of 50,000 square 
miles, with 39,000 in the desert of the Colorado and Mojave basins, 
and 11,000 in one of the most attractive portions of the globe, on 
the western slope of the Coast Eange This slope, called also Sub- 
tropical or Semi-tropical California, shaped like a quarter-circle. 
275 miles long and 40 wide, south of latitude 35°, is protected 
against the chill winds and ocean current of the San Francisco 
region, by the mountainous projection of Point Conception, which 
serves to divide sharply two different summer climates, that to the 
southward being relatively free from the cold breezes and fogs \vhich 
abound to the northward. The average annual rainfall, about 15 
inches, is not sufficient to secure regular crops of cereals without 
irrigation, except in those valleys which receive more than an equal 
share of moisture, and cultivation is generally limited to fields sup- 
plied with water from ditches or artesian wells. But on the irri- 
gated lands the vegetation is so luxuriant, varied and beautiful, 
and the production of fruit so abundant, that the visitor is charmed, 
especially when arriving in the latter part of winter, fresh from the 
ice-bound north, he finds himself in the midst of extensive orange 
orchards, laden with ripe golden fimit, and covered at the same time 
with the fragrant blossoms in preparation for another crop. The 
lime, the lemon, the date palm, the olive, the fig, and a multitude 
of other sub-tropical trees, cultivated for fruit or ornament, con- 
tribute to fascinate the eye in the foreground, while mountains, 
grand in form and rich in color, supply a magnificent distance. 

The table of official statistics, on the following page, compiled and 
published in 1880, will give the reader an idea of the population, 
wealth and Inisiness of this region. The value is that fixed for State 
taxation. The fruit trees in Los Angeles and San Bernardino now 
much exceed the numbers mentioned in the above table. The num- 
l)ers of the trees and acres in vineyards understate the true figures 
for 1880, and since then thousands of acres have been added: 



136 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



Counties. 


Population. 


Value of 
PropLTty. 


Acres 
Cultivated. 


Number of 
Fruit Trees. 


AcTCs n 
Vines. 


Los Angeles .... 
Santa Barbara. . . 

Ventura 

San Bernardino. . 
San Diego 


33,393 
9,522 

5.088 
7,800 
8,620 


$18,500,000 
7,704,000 
8,331,000 
3,680,000 
4.995,000 


130,000 
47,000 

115,000 
11,000 
30,000 


300,000 
23,000 
20,000 
36,000 
18,000 


6.000 
104 
200 
375 
104 


Totals 


64,423 


$38,270,000 


333,000 


397,000 


6,843 



Los Angreles. — Besides the precedence which Los Angeles has 
over the other counties of Southern California in population, -wealth 
and agricultural production, as indicated by the preceding table, it 
is also superior in the amount of tillable soil, tlic supply of water 
available for irrigation, the length of iron track, the concentration 
of railroads within its limits, and the facilities for communication 
by rail with the Atlantic slope or with San Francisco. San Diego 
which has the only good natural harbor in California, south 
of San Francisco, is at a disadvantage in water supply, and in being 
at the outer limit of the State, with very little population or in- 
dustry in the adjacent portion of Mexico. 

The City of Los Angeles, stj-led by the Spaniards when they laid 
it out, El Pueblo de la Eeina de Los Aixjc/e.'^ — the Town of the 
Queen of the Angels — founded September 4th, 1781, is situated 14 
miles east from the Pacific, at tlie mouth of a gorge in low hills, 
through whicli the Los Angeles River breaks to reach a wide plain, 
and near the western end of tlie San Gabriel, or Cucamonga, or 
Sierra Madre spur of the Coast Range. This spur has an average 
height of about 7.000 feet, and rises in the San Antonio Peak to an 
elevation of 10,142. These San Gabriel Mountains often show 
snow in the winter and early spring within 10 miles of the orange 
orchards at their feet, and are referred to in the following lines on 
the winter of Los Ansreles Valley, by A. F. Kercheval. 

In restful, tender, rapt repose. 

Sweet Nature softly dreaming lies ; 

Afar the slunib'iiug Ocean glows, 

Above, the snowy hf ights disclose 

Their glittering banners in the skies. 

Soft at their everlasting feet, 

In green and gold, with iueense sweet, 

Queen of the bright Hesperiai. lauds — 

In riiyal splendor lovelier far 

Than man's vain glittering pageants are, — 

The gi-acious Orange proudly stands. 



How soft the purple shadows sleep 
On every cloud-kissed solemn sleep! 
Sweet fairy Yale ! O, not more dear 
To tender thought and lover's dream. 
To muse's song and poet's theme, 
The dreamy vale of sweet Cachmere I 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 137 

The site of Los Angeles was selected for its horticultural advan- 
tages of a large area (»f level land near a regular and conveniently 
manageal)le supply of water. The character given to the city by its 
first settlers, lias not l)cen lost. It is still, as it was in the last cen- 
tury, a place of gai'dens, vineyards and orchards, abounding in 
flowers and fruits, especially in oranges and grapes. Los Angeles 
(with its surroundings) is one of the most interesting places in the 
United States, and makes a vivid impression on travelers. In his 
l)Ook, A us A mcrika, Julius Froebel said : "I could Avisli no better 
home for myself and my friends than such a one as noble, sensible 
men could make here for themselves." Dr. J. W. Hough wrote: 
"The general view of Los Angeles, from the old fort, more nearly 
resembles that of Damascus, 'the Pearl of the Orient,' than any city 
I have elsewhere seen. * * * Xhe vineyards have the same 
luxuriance, the pomegranates the same real lilossom, and the orange 
groves the same ravisliing beauty, while an occasional palm, state- 
liest of trees, gives an Oriental air to the scene." 

Until 1849, Los Angeles was the largest town in California. The 
houses built before that year had adobe walls; the .stores of recent 
construction are of brick, and the dwellings of wood or brick. If 
the city should grow much, it will probably expand over the plateau 
east of the river, where there is a handsomer and more healthful 
situation than in the moist bottom land of the valley. The best 
view is to be obtained from Fort Hill, in the northwest corner of 
the city. Street railroads run to the north, south and east, and in all 
those directions, charming gardens are to be seen from the streets. 
The places in Los Angeles County, most worthy of a visit after its 
chief city, are San Gabriel, Santa Monica, Anaheim, Pasadena, 
Westminster, Orange, the Sierra Madre Villa and Catalina Island, 

San (iJabriel Mission. — The Mission of San Gabriel, founded 
September 8th, 1771, the first white settlement in what is now Los 
Angeles County, the most prosperous of the Californian Missions, 
was originally established 4 miles southeastward from the site where 
the permanent mission church was erected. Though the official 
title was San Gabriel, so named after the senior archangel in the 
angelic hierarchy of the Catholic Church, who, like his associates, 
Michael and Rafael, has been promoted to .Saintship, yet, in general 
speech, the establishment was called the Mission of the Temblores, 
or earthquakes, which were frequent there for 20 years or more. 
Nevertheless, the buildings there were never seriously injured by 
such shocks as they were at San Juan Capistrano, and Santa Inez, 
where the churches were thrown down in 1812, and a,t Santa Clara, 
where the church building, in 1818, was rendered unfit for further 
use. The church at San Gabriel, built of stone and adobe in the 
last century, is the best mission building in California, and the best 
of all erected in the State before the American conquest. There is 
no elegance in its design or finish. 



. 138 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

San Gabriel Valley.— The valley of San Gabriel, lying at the 
southern base of the San Gabriel range, is fertile, well watered, and 
occupied by a wide exjjanse of orchards, vineyards and gardens. 
In 1880, the orchards covered 180U and the vineyards 1770 acres, 
and a considerable area has been planted since. The orchard and 
vineyard of L. J. Rose cover 800 acres, making one of the finest 
horticultural estates to be found anywhere. The orange orchards 
of E. J. Baldwin and B. D. Wilson & Co., and the vineyards of 
E. J. Baldwin, J. de Barth Shorb, Gen. Stoneman, and J. F. Crank, 
are magnificent estates, and Rose, Shorb, Stoneman and Crank, res- 
ident owners (Wilson is dead and Baldwin resides in San Francisco), 
have studied the orange and grape, and are men of interesting char- 
acter and career. There are numerous attractive drives, through 
vineyards and canyons, near San Gabriel. 

Sierra 3Ia(lre Villa. — Sierra Madre Villa, on the slope of San 
Gabriel Mountain, and 10 miles northward from the San Gabriel 
Railroad Station, at an elevation of 1,800 feet above the sea, is one 
of the leading pleasure resorts of Southern California. It has a 
spacious hotel, with a good table, a large orchard and vineyard, 
extensive grounds and a magnificent view across the San Gabriel 
Valley, with the Pacific and islands in the distance. The State 
Board of Health has recommended this as one of the best sites in 
Southern California for a State hospital for consumptives. 

Santa Monica, 16 miles west from Los Angeles, by rail, is the 
principal place in Southern California, south of Santa Barbara, for 
sea-bathing. The beach is beautiful, the surf is slight, and the water 
warm. The situation is in the midst of a bend in the shore, which 
runs westward 12 miles to Pt. Duma, and south-southeastward an 
equal distance to Pt. Firmin. A canyon near by and the beach 
are occupied by numerous tents in the summer, and on holidays 
hundreds of people come down from Los Angeles. 

Anaheim, Etc. — Anaheim, 20 miles southeast from Los Angeles 
by rail, a prosperous town, was laid off as a vineyard colony by a 
company of 50 Germans, who purchased 1,168 acres of land in 1858, 
laid off a town with 50 vineyards of 20 acres each round it, planted 
vines, and after three years divided the vineyards, by lot, among 
the members. The land is irrigated by a ditch frOm the Santa Ana 
River. 

Westminster, 6 miles west of Anaheim, is a temperance colony 
founded in 1870, and irrigated by 400 artesian wells. 

Pasadena, 7 miles northeast from Los Angeles, M'as founded in 
1873, by a colony from Indiana, and has a multitude of thriving 
orchards and vineyards. Irrigation is supplied by a ditch. 

San Fernando, 20 miles north-west from Los Angeles bj' rail, the 
Bite of a mission founded September 8th, 1797, on a plain 1,000 feet 
above the sea, has the best wheat land in the county. The tunnel 
of the Southern Pacific Railroad near the town, through the San Fer- 
nando Ridge, is more than a mile long. 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 139 

San Juan Capistrano, so designated in honor of a Spanish saint of 
the same name, GO miles south-eastward from Los Angeles, is chiefly- 
notable as the site of a mission founded November 1, 1776. The 
church building, completed in 1806, of stone, with a vaulted roof 
of the same material, was thrown down in 1812, killing 36 persons 
engaged in worship at the moment the shock came. Some hot 
springs, 12 miles north-east from San Juan (the hottest has a tem- 
perature of 135^), attract several hundred campers every summer, 
most of them the relatives and friends of invalids who want to 
bathe in the waters. There is no hotel, nor any bath-house, except 
such as each party of visitors provides for itself. 

Santa Catalina Island, 20 miles long, 8 wide at the broadest place, 
and 30 miles south of the nearest mainland, has excellent fishing 
grounds in its vicinity, and on account of genial temperature in 
midsummer, is a favorite resort for pleasure seekers from the warmer 
valleys of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. 

The summit of San Antonio, or Old Baldy peak, 10,142 feet high, 
about 17 miles in a direct line northward from the Pomona Station 
on the Southern Pacific Railroad, on the boundary line between Los 
Aiigeles and San Bernardino Counties, may be reached on horseback 
over a steep and rocky trail. It is on the main divide of the Coast 
Range, and commands a very extensive view of the valleys of San 
Gabriel, Los Angeles and Santa Ana, including the richest por- 
tions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties to the west and 
south, w'liile to the eastward and northward are the Mojave Desert 
and Mt. San Bernardino, with its grand neighboring peaks. 

Santa Barbara. — Santa Barbara County, between parallels 34° 
and 35^ of latitude, has a southern frontage 80 miles and a western 
frontage 40 miles on the Pacific. Two mountain ridges run 
through the county from east to west, occupying much of its 
area. The San Rafael ridge is near the northern border; 
the Santa Inez ridge, about 3,000 feet high, is separated from the 
ocean by the Santa Barbara plain, which, with a length of 80 miles, 
and an average width of perhaps 4 miles, is one of the most attract- 
ive portions of California. The mountains give it a shelter against 
the cold winds which prevail to the northward and westward. The 
soil is fertile and moist. The sea is smooth and dotted with islands. 
The landscape is beautiful by nature, and has been made more at- 
tractive by art. The mean temperature of January is 53° in the air, 
and 60^ on the ocean; and of July, 64° on the sea, and 68° in the 
atmosphere. The City of Santa Barbara, situated about midway in 
this plain, one of the favorite resorts for health and pleasui-e in the 
State, has numerous beautiful gardens and orchards within its limits 
and in its vicinity. The late Dr. Thomas Logan, first Secretary of 
the State Board of Health, thus spoke of Santa Barbara: "The 
trade winds which are so troublesome at San Francisco, during a con- 
siderable portion of the year, cannot strike this place at all. The 
close vicinity of the sea prevents the extreme heat to which inland 



140 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

places in this latitude are often exposed, while the overhanging moun- 
tains absorb dampness and tend to f^ive a tonic, bracing character to 
the atmosphere. I know no place in the world so protected and 
bearing the same relation to the mountains and the ocean, unless it 
be the Riviera undercliff along the northern coast of the Mediterran- 
ean, at Hieres, in southeastern France, and at Nice and Mentone in 
western Italy. Between the Alps and the sea, there is a narrow 
strip of land, whose surroundings and advantages for invalids seem 
quite similar to those of Santa Barbara. Travelers who have tried 
both, however, give the preference to this place, because of the un- 
comfortable houses and un-American ways met with in those foreign 
places of resort." 

A beautiful beach gives fine opportunities for bathing and driv- 
ing. An intellectual population offers congenial companionship for 
rehned people. A commodious hotel, kept in excellent style, 
makes a pleasant home for tourists. The records of the Mission, 
according to Dr. Logan, show that from 1784 to 1850, there were 
2,047 births and 621 deaths, or more tlian 3 births for 1 death, more 
than twice as much as the average in healthy towns. There were 
in the same period 346 marriages, or about 1 for 6 children on an 
average. An extremely healthy record for a town. The late Dr. 
S. B. Brinkerhoff wrote thus : "Ten miles from Santa Barbara in 
a westerly direction, in the bed of the ocean, about \h, miles from 
the shore, is an immense spring of petroleum, the product of which 
continually rises to the surface of the water, and floats upon it 
over an area of many miles. This minei-al oil may be seen any day 
from the deck of the steamers plying between here and San Fran- 
cisco, or from the high banks along the shore, its many changing 
hues dancing upon the shifting waves of the sea. * * * The 
prevailing westerly sea breezes, passing over this wide expanse of 
sea-laden petroleum, may * * * take up from it and bear 
along with them to the places whither they go, some subtle power 
which serves as a disinfecting agent, and which may account for the 
infrequency of some * * * diseases, * * * and possibly for 
the superior healthfulness of the climate of Santa Barbara." 

No case of small-pox has ever been developed in Santa Barbara, 
and all who ever went there with the disease recovered. 

Santa Barbara Mission. — The Mission, founded December 4, 
1786, has one of the best buildings erected in California under the 
Spanish dominion. The main edifice is 200 feet long and 40 feet 
wide, with a wing 130 feet long. Two high toweis of stone adorn 
its front. The property is in the possession of Franciscan monks, 
who use it for collegiate purposes. 

3Iontecito. — Montecito (Little Forest), four miles north-eastward 
from Santa Barbara, has a number of luxuriant orchards and gardens. 
One of these has a camellia tree, the largest in the State ; another 
has a famous grapevine of the Mission variety. It has a trunk 
12 inches in diameter at the ground, and covers an arbor 60 feet 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 141 

square. It grew from a cutting from a larger vine on the same 
place. The latter having outlived its usefulness and shown si^is 
of decay, was cut down in 1876, when 81 yeai's old, and when its 
trunk had a diameter of 15 inches. It had produced more than 
5 tons of grapes in a season — and the present vine bears about 4 tons 
in a good year. 

A mile eastward from Montecito are the Santa Barbara Hot 
Springs, 1,400 feet above the sea. There are a dozen of these springs 
in a wild, rocky canyon, and the four largest have temperatures of 
114°, 115", 115°, and 118°. 

Hollister's Kancho. — Twelve miles westward from Santa Barbara, 
are the ranchos of W. W. Hollister and Elwood Cooper, prominent 
citizens of California. Hollister introduced the Merino into Cali- 
fornia and was the first person to breed the sheep for wool, after the 
gold discovery. He made a fortune by his venture and his example 
was followed by many others. He has 350 acres in orchard, includ- 
ing 250 in almonds. The avenue in front of his house, lined with 
date palms, 10 years old, is very beautiful. 

Cooper's Rancho.— Mr. Cooper's rancho is notable for having 
the largest olive orchard of the State, and the largest varieties of 
eucalyptus, in a plantation covering more than 100 acres. He is the 
leading producer of olive oil in the State. 

Santa Inez Valley, — At the northern base of the Santa Barbara 
Mountains, and only 15 miles in a direct line from the county seat, 
is the Santa Inez Valley, drained by a stream 80 miles long, but 
small in the quantity of its waters. On the banks of tlie Santa Inez 
River, are the old missions of Santa Inez and Purisima. The l)uild- 
ings at l^bth missions are of adobe ; the latter in good condition ; 
the former is in ruins. 

Santa Barbara Islands Etc. — Twenty miles from the shore, 
and in a line nearly parallel with it, are the Islands of San Miguel, 
Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa. There are excellent fishing 
grounds near these islands, and the western side of Santa Cruz has a 
great number of abalones, which are taken for their shells, from the 
rocks, by Chinamen. Between "the islands and the mainland lies 
the Santa Barbara Channel, which is noted for the calmness of its 
waters. « 

Ventura. — Ventura County lies east of Santa Barbara, and like 
it, has no railroad. All its freight and most of its travelers, enter- 
ing or leaving the county go by sea. It has no harbor, but several 
roadsteads secure enough for ordinary shipping purposes, except, 
perhaps, during half a dozen days in the year. Its chief port, San 
Buenaventura (named after a saint of the Franciscan Order, Buona- 
ventura, changed into Buenaventura to accommodate it to tlie 
Spanish tongue), is about 30 hours by steam from San Francisco, and 
first-class fare is SIO or 81-- The town is at the mouth of the San 
Buenaventura river, on a narrow plain between barren hills and the 
beach. The place was the site of one of the Spanish missions 



242 SOUTHERX CALIFORNIA. 

founded March 24tli, 1782. The church building, dedicated in 1809, 
is a substantial edifice, with walls 7 feet thick, brick outside and 
adobe inside. The parish priest, a native of Spain, has been a resi- 
dent of California for many years and is an interesting gentleman. 
Date and olive trees, more tlian half a century old, are prominent 
features of the town. On the bank of the river, from 1 to 4 miles 
from town, there are some 30 orchards of oranges and other fruit. 

Ojai. — The most attractive part of Ventura County for tourists is 
Ojai Valley, 15 miles north-Avestward from San Buenaventura, and 
from 600 to 1200 feet above the sea, the height near the centre, 
the town of Nordhoff, being 850 feet. The valley has a fertile soil, 
many inequalities of surface, a good supply of trees, grass and 
brush, a surrounding of grand and beautiful mountains, which rise 
on the east to a height of 6,000 feet, a dry atmospliere, and a 
pleasant class of inhabitants. There are two hotels, where the 
traveller will find a good table and clean rooms ; riding horses can 
be hired at cheap rates, and there is neither lack of agreeable com- 
panionship nor danger of being crowded by a multitude of rude 
people. Although not so conveniently accessible as many otlier 
pleasure resorts, it is one of the most attractive for either a short or 
a long stay in California. As a winter resort for invalids and for 
persons who wish to live away from the throng, Ojai deserves 
special commendation. The indigenous plants are sycamore, alder, 
and Cottonwood along the edges of the streams ; walnut trees, ever- 
green and deciduous oaks, alfilerillo, bur, clover, malva and cane- 
grass, in the moist lands of the open valley and the hills, and 
ceanothus and chamiso in the drier places. 

Matilija, Etc.— The Matilija Canyon, which opens into the Ojai 
Valley from the northward, is a deep gorge through which the north 
fork of the San Buenaventura Riverflows, and is remarkable for itsfinc 
scenery, its numerous hot and cold mineral springs and the trout in 
the stream. There are good accommodations for a small number of 
visitors at the sprinors, which are 18 miles from San Buenaventura. 

The oil region in Ventura County, situated in the hills near Santa 
Paula, have attracted much attention, and large sums of money 
have been spent in vain efforts to obtain a large flow of oil. The 
flowing oil springs arc numerous, and occupy a tract of country 7 or 
8 miles long, and nearly a mile wide. Two refineries have been 
built, and the purified oil is found to be of excellent quality, but the 
cost of refining and the distance from market render the enterprise 
unprofitable, about 30 barrels being the daily production. 

Fifteen miles northward from San Buenaventura, and near the 
ocean, is a Solfatura, or place where the ground is hot, sulphurous 
gases are emitted, and sulphur is found, a sight well worth the 
visitor's attention. 

San Bernartlino. — San Bernardino, the largest county in Cali- 
fornia, has an area of 23,000 square miles, of which nearly one- 
fifteenth may be west of the main summit of the Coast Range, and 



SOUTnERX CALIFORNIA. 143 

two-thirds of that western division, valley land. The eastern por- 
tion is in the Utah Inclosed Basin, and in the Colorado Basin, and 
most of it desert. With relatively insignificant exceptions, the 
population and business of the county are limited to the San Bernar- 
dino Valley, which has an average diameter of 80 miles, and is tlie 
upper portion of the valley of the Santa Ana River, with an eleva- 
tion varying from 500 to 1200 feet above the sea. On the north and 
east it is bordered by the main ridge of the Coast llange, with San 
Antonio Peak 10,142 feet high on the north, and Graj'back 11,600, 
San Bernardino 10,800, and San Jacinto 10,000 on the east. To the 
southward are the Temescal and Santa Ana ridges. The enclosing 
mountains make a view 100 miles long, nearly enclosing the circle, 
aiid rising steeply from the plain, with summits not 20 miles distant 
from its centre, they give grandeur to the landscape, especially when 
covered with snow, as the higher peaks are for 8 months in the 
year. The cluster of Gray back, San Bernardino and San Jacinto, 
is especially beautiful. Nowhere else in the state are towering 
peaks found in such near proximity to orange groves and evergreen 
meadows. The scene is most impressive in February or March, 
when the ripe oranges, the orange blossoms, and the thick mantle of 
snow, extending nearly a mile down vertically from the top of the 
higher summits, may all be seen at the same time. By ascending 
the base of the mountains to a height of 1000 or 1,500 feet above the 
sea, comprehensive views of the valley as w^ as of the ridges 
beyond it can be obtained. The following lines of A. F. Kerclieval 
about Riverside, may apply to the entire San Bernardino plain : 

" Soft veiled in splendor, like some jeweled bride, 
Far gazing dowu the future, dim and wide, 
A glorious vision of ouchantmont gleams, 
Aud lo, before lis queenly liiverside. 

What genius here hath waved his magic wand 
Above the silence of a lonely land? 
Lo ! Spreading far beyond the vision's sweep, 
The wealth of green and gold on every hand I 

******* 
Lone deserts made to blossom as the rose, 
Hesperian fruits and bowers of soft repose, 
Perpetual clothed in robes of emerald sheen — 
These ai'e the triumphs that thy years disclose. 

******* 
Queen ruler proud, beneath the burnished blaze 
Of lordly, rapt San Bernardino's gaze, 
Thou restest sweet beneath his sheltering love, 
And dreamest of the fruits of coming days. 

***.**** 
Lo I more eternal than the boasts of Rome, 
H( r piles of marble or St. Peter's dome. 
Thy everlasting watch towers looming o'er, 
To uuurd the treasiu-es of thy fairy home." 



144 sorTHF.rx califorxta. 

San Bernardino Town.— Xoar the eastern edge of the valley, 
and at au olovatiou of 1, 100 feet ahove the sea, in a fertile district, 
Avatered by numerous artesian wells, 4 miles north from the railroad 
station of Colton, is San Bernardino, the oldest, largest, and com- 
mereially the most active town in the county. It was laid out by 
a colony of Moinions who came in wagons from Salt Lake in ISol, 
and after an examination of the place, they bought the San Bernar- 
dino rancho from the native Californian owners, agreeing to pay 
§!77,500 for the 35.500 acres. They had brought only $700 in cash, 
but they Avere full of faith in one another, and as soon as the bargain 
was closed they began work as if every man considered his own 
intei-est to be in hai'mony with that of the colony. One of the first 
wants was lumber, and all turned out to build a road to the timber 
in the mountains. A few weeks of hard work finished tliat task, 
and then they were ready to build a town, which they laid off with 
square blocks of eight acres, separated bj' wide straight streets. 
They toiled for years before they completed their payments for the 
rancho, but they paid for it, and were beginning to beautify their 
town, when President Buchanan threatened to subject Utah to mili- 
tary rule, and Brigham Young called home all the Mormon colonists 
of Carson and San Bernardino Valleys, for the double purpose of 
leaving no helpless outposts and of concentrating all his forces at 
home." The San Bernardino ISIormons had become very much 
att^iched to their i^ew home, but bitter as was their regret at the 
necessity of returning to Salt Lake, they went promptly, with a 
few exceptions, selling their lands and houses for whatever could be 
got, whether a half, a fourth, or even only a tenth of the fair value. 
This was in the fall of 1857. and the Mormons never returned. 

The first white settlement wa^ made at old San Bernardino, 2 miles 
southeast of Colton, where Franciscan friars established a branch of 
the San Gabriel Mission, about 1820, and erected a large adobe 
building, now in ruins. The valley was not considered a safe place 
until after the !Morn\on settlement, as hostile Indians from the 
Mojave and Colorado Valleys took this route to steal horses and 
neat cattle in the neighborhood of Los Angeles, and often killed 
white men found near their line of travel. 

Riverside. Ktc. — The most beautiful town in San Bernardino is 
Riverside, 8 miles southwest from Colton. It was laid off in 1871, 
in -what was then a desert, and having been supplied with water by 
a ditch, was planted with orchards and vineyards by settlers fresh 
from New England, bringing with them capital, enterprise, educa- 
tion and refinement. The climate seems peculiarly favorable ftu- the 
orange tree, which there shows none of the red scale and black 
fungus that injui'e the orchards in many other parts of the State. 
The water supply is abundant, the soil fertile, and the plan of the 
colony judicious. The trees and vines are of good varieties and 
have been set out in large numbers. "Within the last 10 years no 
horticultural town on our coast has made more rapid progress than 



SOT7TIIERX fALIPORXIA. ]4-, 

Riverside, or has drawn together a larger proportion ot intellectual 
people. Its pecuniary prosperity, its horticultural skill and its 
social attractions make it a favorite resort for tourists. 

.Several other towns have been laid off to the south-west of liiver- 
sirle, and all are connected by Magnolia Avenue, 130 feet wide and 
12 miles long, lined with a double row of trees on each side, with 
magnolias at regular inter\'als. It is expected that all the land on 
Ijotli sides of the avenue will be occupied with orchards, vineyards, 
and gardens. 

Colton, the chief railroad station of the county, has a central 
situation and good soil, but, until it has a larger water suj^ply than 
at present, will probably not become important. 

Lugonia, north-east of Colton, is a horticultural town so new 
that it has little of interest now, though it promises much for the 
future. 

The slopes of the mountains abound to the height of 2,000 feet 
above the sea, with places more beautiful by nature than those in 
the lowland, and less troubled by frost, but they are more lonely, 
and few of them have, as yet, been improved. 

Crafton, 10 miles eastward from Colton, 2,300 feet above the sea, 
in a beautiful situation, where a large brook issues from a canyon, 
is a well known pleasure resort, and a very attractive place. 
. San Bernardino Springs. — The Arrowhead Hot Springs, 2,035 
feet above the sea, and 6 miles northward from San Bernardino have 
a hotel, bath-houses, and two basins walled in with stone, for bath- 
ing purposes. Some of the springs are hot and others cold, and the 
supply of water is abundant. They take their name from a natural 
formation. The steep mountain side near the springs and behind 
them is covered with chaparral, except a place perhaps half a mile 
high and a quarter wide, shaped like an arrowhead, or ace of spades, 
with the point down, and the figure thus made is visible at a distance 
of 15 or 20 miles. 

Waterman's Hot Springs, 7 miles northward from San Bernardino, 
and 1,800 feet above the sea, number about 40, and have tempera- 
tures ranging from 173^ to 200". The waters contain carbonate of 
lime, soda and iron. A hotel and bathhouses offer their accomoda- 
tions to tourists. I 

The San Jacinto tin mine, 10 miles south-westward from lliver- 
side, had a shaft sunk in it for the purposes of exploration many 
years since, but very little metal has been reduced, and no work is 
in progress there, although report says the ore is rich and abundant. 

Tiie Temescal Hot Springs, six miles southward from the San 
Jacinto tin mines, are in a canyon, have a hotel, and iine scenery. 

San Dieg"0 County. — San Diego County has an area of 14,600 
square miles, three-fourths of whicli immense area may be set down 
as desert, east of the main summit of the Coast Range. West of 
that summit much of the land is mountainous, though the moun- 
tams afford excellent natural pasturage, and contain some valuable 



146 SOUTHERX CALIFORNIA. 

minerals. The western quarter of the county contains nearly 
all the inhabitants, and is much less broken, having line table-lands, 
low hills, and many rich valleys, well adapted to the cultivation of 
the vine and sub-tropical fruits. A valley 12 miles east of San 
Diego, containing 40,000 acres, has extensive wheat lields, and sev- 
eral large orchards and vineyards produce fruits and grapes of 
superior quality. Of more than 10,000,000 acres in the county, 
only 35,000 are cultivated. The county is the most southern in the 
State ; the dryest, though never hot ; for the average of the year 
the warmest. The natural roads of the western side of the county, 
with but little diist in the summer or mud in the wet season ; the 
line climate, free from storms, harsli winds and chilly fogs, and 
never too hot or too cold for comfort, and the varied and pleasing 
scenery, render the drives most enjoyable and lend a rare charm to 
out-door life, making this county quite as attractive to sojourners 
and certain classes of invalids as any other portion of California. 

San Die^O City. — The chief resource of San Diego City is its 
bay, magnificent natui-al harbor, deep, commodious, secure, easy of 
entrance, with no dangerous rocks or currents, and almost "free 
from fogs. San Diego liad a population of 2,637 in 18S0, and is 
rapidly growing under the impulse of the construction of the South- 
ern California Railroad, Mduch is completed to the Southern Pacific 
at Colton. The city having an excellent liotel, many beautiful gar- 
dens, a winter climate unsurpassed for mildness on our coast, and 
intelligent and enterprising inhabitants, has been a favorite place 
M'ith tourists and invalids, who have contributed much to its pros- 
perity. The first settlement bj^ white men within the limits of 
what is now known as California, was made at the Mission of San 
Diego, April 11, 1769, when a small sailing vessel, the San Antonio, 
arrived with supplies for the projected missions. 

The shores of the bay and the beach of the Jracific in the vicinity 
are nearly everywhere well adapted to bathing, but it is more prudent 
to bathe only at the frequented grounds, on account of stingrays, 
which sometimes inflict very painful wounds. They are rarely 
found at places where bathers are numerous. 

The San Diego Union of December 16th, 1880, mentions the sud- 
den disappearance of Andy Anderson while bathing in a quiet sea 
at San Dieguito, and adds " there is little doubt but that Anderson 
was devoured by one of these monsters " — a man-eating shark, 
which fish of large size are occasionally seen in the Pacific near the 
Southern Coast, though it is not known for certain that one has 
ever attacked a man in the California waters. Those of large size 
probably prefer to stay in the deep water. Some smaller species of 
sharks are numerous in the bays, and it is said that they have 
sometimes undertaken to bite bathers in San Francisco Bay, but 
have done no serious harm to any one. 

Mild Volcanoes. — The most remarkable natural curiosity of San 
Diego County, is the group of mud volcanoes in the desert, five miles 



SOUTnERN CALIFORNIA. 147 

west from Volcano Station, on the Southeni Pacific Kailroad, a 
station not marked on the ordinary time-tables. These mud vol- 
canoes, called also fumaroles or salses, are vents through which 
steam and gas escape through what seems to be a pond of tliick, 
hot mud. A vent having been formed, the mud gradually rises 
until it forms a cone not mure than 8 feet high and 8 feet wide at 
the base, though the sizes and shapes are very irregular, and, after 
a time the supply of gas gives out, the activity of that vent ceases, 
the mud sinks down to the common level, and a hard crust, looking 
like solid ground, forms over it ; while the hard level crust in 
another place breaks and a little cone rises. Thus the site of the 
steaming mud, covering several square miles in area, is continually 
changing. It is dangerous to approach these vents as the crust 
may give way under a man's weight and let him down into the 
mud which has a temperature higher than that of boiling water. 
H. G. Hanks, State Mineralogist, while making a scientific exami- 
nation of them, was badly burned on one foot in January, 1881, 
while examining one of these vents, and had a narrow escape with 
his life. The country in the neighborhood is barren and uninterest- 
ing, and the mud volcanoes will never become a pleasure resort. 
Some of the cones are curiously fringed with little crystals of sulphur 
and salts deposited from the fumes. 

Below Sea Leyel. — Another natural curiosity of San Diego 
County is the deep desert, in its lowest point about 300 feet below 
the level of the sea. At Fink's Spring, on the Southern Pacific Rail- 
road, the elevation is 260 feet below the ocean level. This was un- 
doubtedly part of the Gulf of California, but the Colorado River de- 
posited sand and mould along its banks, until they rose nearly to 
the level of its high floods, and extended the banks until an area of 
several hundred square miles in what is now California and Lower 
California, were cut off from the gulf and converted into a lake, 
which received less water from the rains than it lost by evaporation, 
and therefore dried out leaving its bed bare. Once in 20 or 30 years, 
on an average, the Colorado River rises high enough to overflow its 
eastern bank and send its watei's out into this desert, below the 
level of the sea. 

Mission of San Die^O. — The Mission of San Diego, founded July 
IGth, 1709, on the l^ank of the San Diego River, eight miles from its 
mouth, and at the same distance from the present city, is in a dilapi- 
dated condition, the best preserved portion of it being the remains 
of its orchard, including olive trees, which bear good crops every 
year. The best pickled olives of California are made at San Diego. 
Mission of San Luis Rey.— The Mission of San Luis Rey, on the 
Ijank of the San Luis Rey River, 6 miles from the ocean, and 45 
miles northward from San Diego, founded June 13th, 1798, has well 
preserved buildings and a pleasant situation. 

La Jolla, etc. — La JoUa, a place on the beach 15 miles north of 
the city, where the rocks have been worn into fantastic caverns and 



14S SOOTHKKX CJiirOILSTA. 

openings by the sea, is the end of the favorite drives of San Diego. 

Another drive, less interesting in its roate and in its terminns« 
leads to the K>undary nuHkoiuent marking the line betireen the 
United States and Menace on the shore of the Piciho, 14 miles 
£n>m San Piego. 

Paradise Valley, 5 miks east of the city, has beaatiful orchards 
and gardens, and attracts most of those Vho go oat for a shcHt 
driTe, 

Hose's Cimyon is the faTorite picnic groond 



CHAPTER V. 



THE SIERRA NEVADA. 



The Chain. — The Sierra Nevada is a great mouutain chain 
abounding iu places and objects of interest to students, business 
men and pleasure seekers. As tbis book is written for the last of 
those three classes, we shall here speak only of those points specially- 
attractive to them. 

The name Sierra Nevada is usually restricted to the chain which 
forms the eastern and southern bomidary of the Sacramento-San 
Joaquin Basin, extending from latitude 34° to A'2\ Its average 
height is about 8,000 feet; its highest point, 15,000; its lowest pass 
about 4,000. Its rock generally is granite, witii slate in the aurifer- 
ous districts on its western slopes, and with large tracts of lava and 
basalt, covering extensive regions in the north of parallel 40°, and 
smaller tracts or streams of volcanic I'ock south of tiiat latitude. 
The highest part of the chain is near 36° 30', and that por- 
tion of it between 36° and 38°, is knoN\-u as the Californian Alps. 
Although the peaks are higher there than in any part of California, 
they are so far from the populous valleys, and as seen from either 
side, so near together and so little above the connnon level of the 
ridge, that they make far less impression on the beholder than do 
the more lonely peaks in the centre and north of the State, though 
with far inferior elevation. More than 100 peaks that exceed 
10,000 feet in the Californian Alps have never been named, and most 
of those which have been niuned are not known by sight save to a 
few persons. According to John Muir, an excellent authority, 
Mount Hitter is " the noblest mountain of the range," and that as 
seen from Sentinel Dome or from any other point near to the 
Yosemite Valley, does not leave any such impression on the mind 
as does Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, or even the Bownievillo Butte. 

The western slope of tlie Sierra has a width of about 50 miles in 
a direct line, and in that distance it rises nearly 150 feet to the mile. 
This is not a steep ascent, but the slope is intersected transversely 
at short intervals of distance, by deep, steep and crooked canyons, 
so that the general cliaracter is marked by extreme roughness, and 
by extensive tracts of bare rock. There are also, especially in the 
foot hills, numerous tracts of fertile soil and thrifty timber. The 



150 THE SIERRA. 

oak and nut pine are found at an elevation of 2000 feet, the yellow 
pine begins to appear about 1,500 feet above the sea; at 3000 feet 
the oak and nut pine are rare and the sugar pine comes in ; the large 
conifers have almost exclusive possession of the land suitable for the 
growth of timber from 3000 to 8000 feet; and above the latter eleva- 
tion the greater part of the mountain is bare. 

The objects of most interest to tourists in the Sierra Nevada, are 
the Yosemite Valley, the similar chasms of the Tuolumne, San 
Joaquin, Kings and Kern Rivers, the groves of big trees, the 65 
glaciers found on tlie higher peaks of the chain, the scenery gener- 
ally in the Californian Alps, between latitude 36° and 38°, Mount 
Shasta (which, though not Ijclonging to the chain is connected with 
it, and is here treated with it for the convenience of arrangement). 
Mount Lassen, with its adjacent cluster of volcanic cones. Lake 
Tahoe, of which an account has been given in Chapter I, the 
hydraulic gold mines, and the gold quartz mines, which, have also 
been mentioned briefly in the same chapter. 

California has no club of mountain climbers ; and few of her 
citizens have had the opportunity, as well as the inclination, to 
spend much time in the study of nature at high elevations. J. D. 
Whitney, Clarence King, Wm. H. Brewer, W. A. Goodyear and C. 
F. Hoffman, who examined extensive regions in the high Sierra 
while engaged in the geological survey, are not now residents of the 
State. The most noted mountain climber of the State is John 
Muir ; and among the men who are known to have spent much time 
in the mountains for pleasure or study are J. G. Lemmon, botanist, 
George Bailey, Thomas Magee, Sydney Smith, Jr. , James M. Hutch- 
ings," Galen Clark, George Davidson, A. F, Rodgers, Ebenezer 
Knowlton and John Swett. 

The Swiss lakes, surrounded by thriving towns and highly culti- 
vated fields, have beauties for which there is no parallel in the 
Sierra lakes, and yet there is nothing in the lakes of Geneva and 
Zurich to approach some of the notable features of Lake Tahoe. 

The Californian Alps have no inhabitants, no roads, no hotels, 
few trails, and those very rugged, and few visitors. The general 
level of the country is higher and the peaks relatively lower than in 
Switzerland. The glaciers are smaller; there are no lakes; and, 
while the scenery has many grand features, it has generally less 
majesty and beauty than that of the European Alps. 

In many respects the Sierra Nevada is one of the most interesting 
chains of mountains. Though inferior in elevation to the Himalayas 
or Andes, it has great advantage over them of being more conven- 
iently accessible from the leading centres of civilized population. 
If not so well provided with horses and guides for the accom- 
modation of tourists as Switzerland, it has, on the other hand, 
greater length and variety, a peculiarly attractive mining industry, 
a grander forest, greater cliffii and wilder gorges, and an int<^rest in 
its volcanic phenomena which are lacking in the Swiss Alps. 



THE SIERRA. 151 

Yosemite. — In the opinion of travelers familiar with the phxces 
most noted for their natural scenery in other countries, there is 
nothing elsewhere to equal the Yosemite Valley and its surround- 
ings in the variety and interest of the views to be found within a 
space 15 miles long by 5 wide. This wonderful combination of 
great cliffs, great waterfalls, dome-shaped mountain peaks, park-like 
meadows, deep umbrageous canyons and charming nooks, is unlike 
anything to be found out of California, and its general character is 
almost as different from the Niagara Cataract, from the Chamouni 
View of Mt. Blanc, from the boiling lava lake of Hawaii, from the 
Yellowstone Park, from a grove of Sequoia Glgantea, or from the Mt. 
Diablo birdseye view over Central California, as a picture is from a 
piece of music. Yet people will make comparisons in the general 
interest of things that have no other quality in common; and on the 
basis of attractiveness that do6s not diminish with prolonged ac- 
quaintance, the predominant judgment of distinguished tourists who 
have visited Yosemite is that it has an unequalcd wealth of grand 
and romantic features within a radius of 10 miles from its centre; 
►Switzerland within a radius of 50 miles has more noteworthy sights 
than are to l)e found in the Sierra Nevada, but any one of its moun- 
tains or valleys, taken separately, is decidedly inferior to the remark- 
able chasm of the Merced, 

A dozen natural wonders of stupendous proportions and remark- 
able forms are so situated, that they can be seen to the best advantage 
at short distances, visible from below and from above, in many di- 
rections and in many lights, and from every new elevation, direction 
and light, there assume new and interesting phases, so that the 
landscape never grows stale, and the eye never tires. If the valley 
and its sides, to an elevation of 200 feet above the Merced River, 
were transferred, witli its magnificent trees, its shrubs, its ferns, its 
meadows, its rocks, its. streams, its shady nooks and its drives, to 
some place within 10 miles of New York City, and converted into a 
public park, the world would go wild over the incomparable beauty 
of such a popular pleasure ground near a great metropolis; and 
myriads, perhaps millions, of people would visit it every year from 
distant States. And yet the valley proper is scarcely accounted 
among the attractions of the Yosemite. 

One of these waterfalls, one of these vertical cliffs, half a mile 
high ; one of these dome-shaped mountains, or the chasm itself, as 
a geological curiosity, would be worthy of world-wide fame; 
but at Yosemite there are a dozen cliffs, nearly as many cataracts, 
half as many domes, several lakes and caverns, and numberless 
minor wonders in and near the valley, besides a multitude of grand 
snow-peaks not far distant. The cataract of the Staubbach, of 
Switzerland, reputed to be the highest waterfall of the Old World, 
is only 900 feet high, and that of Tcquendama, in New Granada, 
which had the first place in the New World before the discovery of 
the Yosemite, is only 050. Tlie largest and highest works of human 



152 THE SIERRA. 

art dwindle into insignificance when compared in bulk or elevati( n 
with the tremendous precipices of Yosemite. The Cheops pyramid, 
498 feet, and the cathedral, spire of Strasburg, 466 feet, would be 
lost in the unnoticed talus of the Capitan, which rises to 3,300 feet, 
or of Sentinel Rock, which ascends to 3,000. 

General Effect. — Prof. Whitney says: "The peculiar features 
of the Yosemite are: first, the near approach to verticality of its 
walls; next, their great height, not only absolutely, but as com- 
pared with the valley itself ; and finally, the very small amount 
of debris or talus, at the bottom of these gigantic cliffs. These are 
the great characteristics of the valley throughout its whole 
length; but besides these, there are many other striking peculiari- 
ties and features, both of sublimity and beauty, whicli can hardly 
be surpassed, if equalled, by those of any other mountain scenery 
in the world." 

Horace Greeley, says: " The Yosemite Valley (or gorge) is the 
most unique and majestic of nature's marvels. * * * Of 
the grand sights I have enjoyed — Rome from the dome of St. 
Peter's, the Alps from the valley of Lake Como, Mount Blanc and her 
glaciers from Chamouni, Niagara — and the Yosemite — ] judge the 
last named the most unique and stupendous. It is a partially 
wooded gorge, 100 to 300 rods wide, and 3,000 to 4,000 feet deep, 
between almost perpendicular walls of gray granite, and here and 
there a dark yellow pine rooted in a crevice of either wall, and 
clinging with desperate tenacity to its dizzy elevation. The isola- 
tion of the Yosemite — the absolute wilderness of its sylvan solitudes, 
many miles from human settlement or cultivation — its cascade 
*2,000 feet high, though the stream which makes this leap has worn 
a channel in the hard bedrock to a depth of 1,000 feet — renders it 
the grandest marvel that ever met my gaze. Next to Yosemite, I 
judge that Niagara has more distinct and diverse attributes of sub- 
limity than any other." 

The following is an extract from Samuel Bowles : "Indeed, it is 
not too much to say, that no so limited space in all the known world 
offers such majestic and impressive beauty. Niagara, alone, divides 
honors with it in America, Only the whole of Switzerland can 
surpass it ; no one scene in all the Alps can match this, before me 
now, in the things that mark the memory and impress all the senses 
for beauty and for sublimity." 

The map on the opposite page gives an e;xcellent general idea of 
the valley, and of the situation of its streams, falls, roads, trails, 
and surrounding cliffs and domes. Snow's Hotel is near the bridge, 
between the Vernal and Nevada falls. The lines made with short 
dashes indicate the wagon-roads, while the trails to Glacier and 
Eagle Points, and to the Nevada Fall, are marked by dotted lines. 
The dark shadings on each side show the edge of the cliffs along the 
side, and the light shadings suggest the talus. 



154 THE SIERRA. 

The opinion of Starr King was, that '* Nowhere among the Alps, 
in no pass of the Andes, and in no canyon of the mighty Oregon 
range, is there such stupendous rock scenery as the traveler now 
lifts his eyes to." 

A State Park. — The Yosemite, with adjacent territory, averag- 
ing about 2 miles in width on each side and at each end of the val- 
ley proper, is the property of the State, given by an act of Congress 
passed June 30th, 1864. The Statute provides that the gift is sub- 
ject to the conditions "that the premises shall be held for public 
use, resort, and recreation, [and] shall be inalienable for all time, 
but leases not exceeding 10 years may be granted for portions of said 
premises. All incomes derived from leases of privileges to be ex- 
pended in the preservation and improvement of the property, or the 
roads leading thereto j * * * the premises to be managed by 
the Governor and 8 other Commissioners to be appointed by the 
Executive of California, and who shall receive no compensation .for 
their services," 

The summits of Mt. Watkins, Cloud's Rest, and Mt. Starr King 
are the eastern corners of the Yosemite Grant ; the western corners 
are not distinguished by prominent landmarks. The level part of 
the valley is 5 miles long and less than half a mile wide, its area 
being 1,141 acres, including 745 of meadow, and 396 of sparse tim- 
ber, the soil in places being bare granite sand. 

Koutes.— The Yosemite is a little south of east from San Fran- 
cisco, distant 165 miles in a straight line, and 279 by the most 
traveler] route. 

Three wagon roads enter the Yosemite Valley at its western end; 
one on the southern side, from the Big Tree Station (called, also, 
Clark's); and two, from Big Oak Flat and Coulterville, on the north- 
ern side. There are, liowever, four main stage roads from the San 
Joaquin Valley, two of them uniting at the Big Tree Station. 

The Madera road, which takes most of the travel, has its western 
terminus at the railroad station of Madera, 185 miles by rail from 
San Francisco. There are 94 miles of staging, the general direction 
of the road from Madera being northeastward, and the greater part 
of its length in the basin of the Fresno River. This route has sev- 
eral important advantages over all its rivals. It has the best supply 
of stages, the most convenient arrangement for railroad transporta- 
tion, the shortest distance in the level valley, and the most regular 
grade. The distance fi-om San Francisco is greater by this route than 
by any other, but the difference is not a matter of much importance. 

The time spent on the trip, including a visit to the Mariposa Big 
Trees is usually 50 hours. We leave San Francisco at 4 p. m., in a 
special sleeping car, arrive at 2 A. m, at Madera, wliere our car is 
switched off without disturbing the passengers, and at 5 we rise, 
get breakfast and start in the stage at 6. The road is over the level 
plain, near the Fresno River and the Madera V flume for 12 miles, 
when we begin to ascend the foothills, after which time we are in 



THE SIERRA. 155 

the timbei' with pleasant scenery. Our noon meal is at Foster's, 
36 miles from Madera; 10 miles beyond we reach the village of 
Fresno Flat; and after 28 miles in crossing tlie divide between the 
Fresno and the Merced Basins, we reach the Big Tree Station, called 
also, after its former owner, Clark's Hotel. The present owners 
are Washburn and Brace. Here, at an elevation of 4,000 feet above 
the sea, we stop over night. The next forenoon the stage drives 
with us to the Mariposa Big Trees, (to be mentioned hereafter) 7 
miles distant ; and returns in time for lunch. Tlie afternoon is spent 
in making the drive of 25 miles to the village in the middle of the 
valley. Returning, the stage leaves at noon, the tourists spend 
the night at Clark's, reach Madera in the evening, and after 
a meal, take their beds in the sleeping car stationed on a switch, 
ready to be attached in the night to the Los Angeles train, 
which, before noon the next day, arrives in the metropolis. The fare 
for the round trip, including sleeping berth, car fare and stage fare, 
with the staging to the Big Tree Grove, is $55. Meals and inci- 
dentals are §6.50 going up and $7.75 returning, making $64.25 for 
the entire expenses of the round trip exclusive of hotels, horses and 
guides in the valley. The stages run daily from the first of April to 
the last of August, and every other day in September and October, 
unless when the winter begins unusually early or lingers unusually 
late, blocking the road with snow. The elevation to be crossed is 
about 6,500 feet, and snow in midwinter falls to a depth of 20 feet 
on the higher parts of the route. When the regular stages do not 
run, the tourist must hire a special conveyance at greater expense, 
and may have to spend more time on the trip. In the midst of the 
tourist season the stages do not run by fixed time tables, but will 
start and stop in accoi'dance with the wishes of any party numerous 
enough to make a load. Toll is charged on every traveler going into 
the valley, but this is included in the price of the tourist's ticket, 
if he goes by stage, so that usually, the matter is not mentioned to 
him. The tolls for horses and riders will be mentioned in the chap- 
ter on camping. The highest point on the road between the Big 
Tree Station and the valley, is about 6,500 feet above the sea. 

The Mariposa wagon road, from the railroad station of Merced 
(141 miles by rail from San Francisco), is 93 miles long, has more 
dust, less timber, and steeper grades than the Madera route, and is 
seldom used, except at times when the Madera stages are full, or 
when the tourists wish to visit S(mie place on the Merced line. 

Tlie Coulterville wagon road to Yosemite is 88 miles long from 
the I'aih'oad station of Merced to the valley. The distances from 
Merced and elevations above the sea for the leading stations on the 
road, are Snelling, 16 miles and 120 feet ; Coulterville, 42 miles and 
1,800 feet ; Greeley Hill, 48 miles and 3,350 feet ; Dudley's, 50 miles 
and 3,000 feet ; Bower Cave, 54 miles and 2,450 feet ; Brown's 
Ranch, 57 miles and 3,350 feet ; Pilot Peak Branch Eoad, 64 miles 
and 5,350 feet ; Hazel Green, 68 miles and 5,600 feet ; Highest Point, 



156 THE SIERRA. 

169^ miles and 5,800 feet ; Merced Grove, 71 miles and 5,400 feet ; 
Buena Vista Gap, 75 miles and 5,150 feet; Big Meadows, 78 miles 
and 4,325 feet. Greeley Hill commands a good view of the high 
peaks of the Sierra east of the Yosemite. Bower Cave is 109 feet 
deep, and at the bottom is a pond of clear water 40 feet deep. The 
country rock is a coarse marble, a formation in which caves are 
numerous. This marble belt extends for more than a 100 miles 
along the side of the Sierra Nevada. The Pilot Peak Branch Road 
is three-quarters of a mile long, and leads to within 200 yards of 
the summit of Pilot Peak, 6,200 feet above the sea. The tourist 
can obtain from this point an extensive view of the high Sierra and 
the San Joaquin Valley. The Merced Grove, 17 miles from Yosem- 
ite Village, has 50 big trees, and about 2 dozen of them are large 
specimens, varying from 45 to 60 feet in circumference. The road 
runs directly through the grove. At Buena Vista Gap, the road 
which is on the northern side of the canyon of the Merced River, 
begins to descend regularly towards the valley, and soon after leav- 
ing the Gap the tourist gets views of the Capitan, Half Dome, 
Sentinel Rock, and Sentinel Dome. The Cascade Fall, 700 feet 
high, and 8 miles from Yosemite, is within 100 yards of the road. 
Although this road has a lower elevation to cross than any other, 
it had no regular stage line in 1881. Many of the camping parties 
jjrefer it. 

This road was opened in 1874, and was the first one completed 
into the valley. A neglected branch of the road connects with the 
Big Oak Flat Road. A horse-trail from Coulterville follows the 
bottom of the canyon of the Merced River into the Yosemite Valley. 

The Big Oak Flat Road starts from Milton (133 miles by rail from 
San Francisco), and is 85 miles long. This route gets about one-fourth 
of the travel, being preferred by tourists going to or from the Cal- 
averas Big Trees, and sharing wath the Madera route the patronage 
of those who wish to enter and leave the valley by different roads. 
The elevation of Big Oak Flat is 2,650 feet; of Second Garrote, 
2,885; of Big Creek, 2,350; of Hardin's Ranch, 3,520; of Hodg- 
kin's, 4,560 ; of the Big Tree Grove, 5,600 ; of Crane Flat, 6,230 ; of 
Summit Ridge, 7,000; of Gentry's Station, 5,830; of the ridge 
east of Gentry's, 8,100 ; and of Eagle Meadows, 7,460. The eleva- 
tion reached on this route is higher than on any other. The road 
runs through the Tuolumne Big Tree Grove, one of the smallest of 
the groves of the sequoia gigantea. 

Programme. — Those tourists who have a definite programme 
before reaching the valley, and are with a party prepared to stay 
the same length of time and make the same excursions, obtain the 
most satisfaction from their trip. If only four days are to be spent 
in the valley, the following programme may be adopted: The first 
day go to Sentinel Dome, stopping at Union Point and Glacier 
Point, and making a longer stay at Glacier Point than on the Dome. 
The second day, the Nevada Fall; on the third, Eagle Point, and on 



THE SIERRA. 



167 




158 THE SIERRA. 

the fourtli, Mirror Lake in the early morning, and the Bridal Veil 
in the afternoon. 

If more than four days ai^e to be spent in the valley, then stay 
over night at the Nevada Fall, and from there go to the summit of 
Cloud's Rest, One day may be given to the Tooloolweack Fall. A 
day may be devoted to a trip from the village by way of Glacier 
Point to the Nevada Fall, crossing the Tooloolweack Creek above 
its fall. Those who can give two weeks to the valley and its sur- 
roundings, should give a favorable consideration to the Tuolumne 
Meadows, to be mentioned hereafter. 

Trails. — Several points mentioned in the last two sentences 
are accessible by trails, or bridle paths, some of which have been 
made with much labor, and were private projjerty, the owners of 
which charged tolls ; but in the spring of 1882, the trails to Glacier 
Point and the Nevada Fall became free ; and the Eagle Point trail 
will be made free in the summer of 1882, leaving no tolls in the valley. 
There is no toll nor any well marked trail from Glacier Point to 
Sentinel Dome; and the same remark applies to the route from the 
Nevada Fall to Cloud's Rest. 

Out of 100 tourists who visit the Yosemite, 80 go to Glacier 
Point, as many to the Nevada Fall, 20 to Eagle Point, 10 to Cloud's 
Rest, and 3 to the top of the Half Dome. The average period in the 
valley is about 4 days, some remaining only a single day, and others 
months. 

Tlie Walls. — The walls enclosing the valley are of granite, vary- 
ing in height from 1,200 to 4,700 feet, in many points vertical, and 
in all very steep, so that until roads were made at great expense, there 
was no place where a wagon could enter it, and only two where horses 
could get in, and then with much difficulty. The sides of the valley 
are nearly parallel to each other, suggesting the idea that they were 
torn apart, and have not changed much in outline since. At the base 
of the walls on each side is a talus, or slo]>e of rocks and dirt which 
have fallen from above. The angle of this talus is from 25 to 40 
degrees ; the height from 100 to 500 feet, the main material is rock, 
covered in most places with a stony soil, and elsewhere bare, show- 
ing here small fragments of rock, and there immense masses with 
great passages under their projecting edges. The bare rocks of the 
talus are largest in the Tooloolweack Canyon. The color of the walls 
is yellowish on the north side of the valley, and blue or gray on the 
south. 

The Riyer . — The Merced, running nearly in the middle of the 
valley, is GO feet wide; from 3 to 8 feet deep in Julj^, and the water 
is generally from 5 to 10 feet below the level of the valle3^ The 
river is clear and the current lively; the descent in the 8 miles of 
valley being about 50 feet. The water is never warm enough for 
comfortable bathing, but there are ponds which get warm in the 
summer. 



THE SIERRA. 159 

First View of tlie Valley. — The tourist gets some fine views of 
the valley Avhile descending into it by the wagon roads fi'om Big 
Oak Flat, and the Big Tree Station ; those near Inspiration Point, 
on the latter road, being by far the most jjlcasing. The best view 
from the west, however, is obtained at Old Inspiration Point, near 
the horse trail, and perhaps half a mile from the wagon road — a 
place from whicli many photographs and some oil pictures have 
been taken. The Capitan, the Bridal Veil, the Virgin's Tears or 
Ribbon Fall, the North Dome, Mt. Watkins, the Half Dome, and 
the lower part of the valley are seen distinctly, and with the best 
effect in the afternoon. 

Ribbon Fall.— Of the Fall of the Pdbbon or Virgin's Tears 
Creek, the first cascade in the valley visible to the tourist who goes 
by the Madera or Mariposa route, Prof. Whitney says : "The Vir- 
gin's Tears Creek, on the other side of the valley, and directly 
opposite the Bridal yell, makes also a fine fall, over 1,000 feet high, 
included in a deep recess of the rocks near the lower corner of El 
Capitan. This is a beautiful fall as long as it lasts, but the stream 
which produces it dries up early in the season. In quantity of 
water, elevation and general effect, this fall, hardly spoken of at 
the Yosemite among so many grander ones, is far superior to the 
celebrated Staubbach of Switzerland. " 

The Capitan. — The first object of interest to attract the atten- 
tion of the visitor when entering the valley from the west, is the 
Capitan, or Tutucanula, rising perpendicularly from the valley to a 
height of 3,300 feet. It has 2 fronts, one facing to the west, and 
the other to the south, the 2 meeting nearly at a right angle, and 
together about a mile long. This cliff" is considered by many the 
most stupendous and sublime feature in Yosemite scenery. The 
immensity of its bulk, the elevation, verticality and relative 
smoothness of its surfaces, and its prominent position (being visible 
from nearly all the principal points of view), fix the attention of the 
beholder. Its height exceeds the width of the valley in front of it, 
so that if it should topple over, it would rest on the opposite cliff. 
The Indian name means the Great Spirit, and Capitan is SjDanish 
for Cay>tain. Prof. Whitney says: "It would be difficult to find, 
anywhere in the world, a mass of rock presenting a perpendicular 
face so imposing." Starr King declared: "A more majestic object 
than this rock, I never expect to see on this planet." Horace 
Greeley, who entered the valley at night, tlius speaks of his first 
impressions of the great cliff: " That first, full, deliberate gaze up 
the opposite height! Can I ever forget it? The valley is here 
scarcely half a mile wide, while its northern wall of mainly naked 
perpendicular granite is at least 4,000 feet high — probably more. 
Biit the modicum of moonlight that fell into this awful gorge gave 
to that precipice a vagueness of outline, an indefinite vastness, a 
ghostly and weird spirituality. Had the mountain spoke to me i:i 
an audible voice, or l)egan to lean over with the purpose of bury- 



160 THE SIERRA. 

ing me, I should hardly have been surprised. Its whiteness, thrown 
into bold relief by the patches of trees or shrubs which fringed or 
flecked it, wherever a few handfuls of its moss, slowly decomposed 
to earth, could contrive to hold on, continually suggested the pres- 
ence of snow, which suggestion, with difficulty refuted, was at once 
renewed. " 

The Bridal Veil.— The largest fall to attract the tourist when 
descending into the valley, and a prominent feature in the best 
general view, is the Bridal Veil, formed by the creek of the same 
name, which there makes a descent of 1,000 feet, of which about 
850 consist of vertical fall, the remainder being rapids, below the 
main cascade. The creek is about 70 feet wide in June. In con- 
sequence of its great height, and its position where the valley is 
wide and the wall nearly straight for a considerable distance, the 
fall influences, and is influenced by the winds greatlj^ and strong 
gusts blow about it, carrying the stream from t)ne side to another, 
"making it flutter like a white veil; hence [says Whitney] the 
name, which is both beautiful and appropriate. " The stream falls 
upon the talus, which is there 200 feet high or more, and a heavy 
mist surrounds its foot. Beautiful rainbo%vs can be seen here every 
clear afternoon. The stream, after striking the talus, divides into 
3 branches before reaching the Merced. Travelers not unfrequently 
go far up into tiie gusts and mist, but do not report very favorably 
of the adventure. The best distant view of the fall is obtained 
from a point half a mile to the northwest. The best near view from 
the talus on the west side of the stream, about 200 yards from the 
fall, in the middle of the afternoon. The situation varies with the 
course and force of the winds. Starr King gives his impressions of 
the Bridal Veil, thiia : "As I think of it, I lose quickly the im- 
pression of the widening of its watery trail before it struck the 
rocks to thunder from them ; I do not dwell either on the fascina- 
tions of its ever-melting and renewing tracery, nor on the brilliance 
of its iris banners that are dyed into its leaping mists and flying 
shreds ; I can recall for my supreme delight only the curve of the 
tide more than 800 feet aloft, where it starts off from the precipice, 
and the transparency of its vitreous brink, with the edge now and 
then veiled with a little curling misty vapor, when the wind blew 
hard against it, but generally tinged with a faint apple-green lustre.'" 

The Bridal Veil Creek , like the Yosemite Creek, goes dry in Sept- 
ember, if not in August. 

Cathedral Rocks.— On the south side of the valley, immediately 
opposite to the Capitan, are the Cathedral Rocks, which rise to a 
height of 3,000 feet. Near them, and at the top of the cliff, are the 
Cathedral Spires, 2 "slender and beautiful columns of granite," 
each about 800 feet and 300 feet in diameter. Cathedral Rocks, as 
they are generally called, are seen to the best advantage from a point 
about a mile distant to the northeastward. Prof. Whitney calls 
them Cathedral Peak, and says : ' ' Tiiis is one of the grandest 



THE SIERRA. 101 

landmarks in the whole region, and has been most appropriately 
named. As seen from the west and south-west it presents the ap- 
pearance of a lofty mass of rock, cut squarely down on all sides for 
more than 1,000 feet, and having at its southern end a beautiful 
cluster of slender pinnacles, which are several hundred feet above 
the main body. It requires no effort of the imagination to see the 
resemblance of the whole to a gothic cathedral; but the majesty of 
its form, and its vast dimensions are such that any work by human 
hands would sink into insignificance beside it." 

The Three Brothers.— A mile and a half east of the Capitan 
are the Three Brothers, 3 peaks in close proximity, jutting out into 
the valley on its north side. The higliest of these summits, 4,000 feet 
above the hotels, and known as Eagle Point, is accessible by a horse 
trail, which ascends the wall of the valley between the Yosemitc 
Creek and the Three Brothers. 

The Yoseiiiite Fall.— Xearly midway in the valley, on the north 
side, is the Yosemite Fall, where the creek of the same name, in 
three cataracts, jumps down 2,550 feet. The upper Fall is 1,500 
feet high, and is a third of a mile back from the valley, in a gorge ; 
the second fall is rather a succession of cascades, measuring in all 
626 feet, after Mhicli comes the third fall, 400 feet high, below Mdiich 
is a talus, 200 feet high. Below the lower fall the stream divides 
into three branches, and one of these straight for half a mile, and 
lined with tall trees, so as to present a beautiful vista, is called 
Cascade Avenue, because of numerous little cascades in its course. 
In the canyon between tlie Upper and Lower Falls there are very 
fierce gusts of wind, so strong that visitors frequently find difficulty 
in catching breath, and the spray sweeps down almost in showers. 
Most of the water of the upper Fall breaks into mist and spreads 
out gradually, from 30 yards at the top of the cliff to 100 yards at ' 
the bottom. The creek goes nearly dry in September, and it is not 
more than 40 yards wide and 4 feet deep at its best, so the Ijulk of 
water is small. The general impression is, that the fall is not an 
important part of the attractions of the valley, and the tiinc for a 
visit should be selected without special reference to the fulhiess of 
the streams. 

At the base of the Upper Fall, on the west side of it, is a cavern 
8 feet high, 300 feet wide across the mouth, and 30 feet deep hori- 
zontally. It can only be reached in the dry season, and then by 
walking across from the east on a ledge of rocks about 20 feet wide, 
upon which the water strikes with great force when the stream is 
full. 

Horace Greeley, who saw the fall in August, says : " The fall of 
the Yosemite, so called, is a humbug. It is not the Merced Eiver 
that makes this fall, but a mere tributary trout brook, which pitches 
in from the north by a barely once-broken descent of 2,600 feet, 
while the Merced enters the valley at its eastern extremity, ovei' 



162 THE SIERRA. 

falls of 600 and 250 feet. But a river thrice as large as the Merced 
at this season would be utterly dwarfed by all the other accesso- 
ries of this prodigious chasm. Only a Mississippi or a Niagara 
could be adequate to their exactions. I readily concede that a hun- 
dred times the present amount of water may roll down the Yosemite 
Fall in the months of INIay and June, wlien the snows are melting 
from the central ranges of the Sierra Nevada, which bound this 
abyss to the east ; but this would not add a fraction to the wonder 
of this vivid exemplification of the Divine power and majesty. At 
present, the little stream that leaps doMTi the Yosemite, and is all 
l)ut shattered to mist by the amazing descent, looks like a tape line 
let down from the cloud-capped height to measure the depth of the 
abyss." 

On the other hand. Professor Whitney says : "The traveler who 
has not seen the Yosemite when its streams are full of water, has 
lost if not the greater part, at least a large portion of the attrac- 
tions of the region, for so great a variety of cascades and falls as 
those which leap into this valley from all sides has, as M-e may confi- 
dently assert, never been seen elsewhere ; both the Bridal Veil and the 
Nevada Fall being unsurpassed in some respects, while the Yosemite 
Fall is beyond anything known to exist, whether we consider its 
height, or the stupendous character of the surrounding scenery." 

The same writer remarks that "The first and most impressive of 
these elements (of grandeur and beauty) is, as in all other objects, 
about the Yosemite, vertical height. In this it surpasses, it is be- 
lieved, any waterfall in the world with anything like an equal body 
of water. And all the accessories of this fall are of a character 
worthy of and commensurate with its height. * * * One of the 
most striking features of the Yosemite Fall is the vibration of the 
upper portion from one side to the other, under the varying pressure 
of the wind, which acts with immense force on so long a column. 
The descending mass of water is too great to allow of its being 
broken entirely into spray, but it widens out verj^ much towards the 
bottom — probably to as much as 300 feet at high water, the space 
through which it moves being fully three times as wide. This 
vibratory motion of the Yosemite and Bridal Veil Falls is something 
peculiar, and not observed in any others, so far as we know. The 
eflFect of it is indescribably grand under the magical illumination of 
the full moon." 

The Yosemite Creek, at the foot of the Fall, becomes dry in 
September, and sometimes in August, and contains, when at its 
best, but a small Ijulk of Avater, never exceeding 40 yards in width 
and 4 feet in depth, In the middle of June, 1865, after a winter of 
average rainfall, it was measured by J. F. Houghton, then Sur- 
veyor-General for the State of California, and found to have a width 
of 37 feet, a depth of 25 inches, and a current of 1 mile an hour, 
showing a flow of water equal to 400,000 cubic feet per hour. 



THE SIERRA. 



163 




SENXnwL BOCK. 



104 THE SIERRA. 

Sentiliol Rock. — One of the most prominent and remarkable 
features of the rock scenery of the Yosemite is Sentinel Eock, a 
natural obelisk, about 1,000 feet high, and 300 feet thick at the 
summit, which is 3,000 feet above the valley. The sides show the 
vertical cleavages of the granite. The Sentinel Eock is seen to the 
best advantafje from the west. 

Sentinel Bonie, — A mile southwestward from Glacier Point, 
hemispherical in shape, and 4,150 feet above the valley is the Sen- 
tinel Dome, next to Mt. Starr King, the most regularly shaped of 
all the dome-like peaks of the Yosemite. The summit, accessible 
on horseback in 4 hours from the hotels, is the highest point visited 
by the Yosemite tourists, as a class. It is not only easier of access 
than Cloud's Eest, but it is nearer the valley, is in the midst of 
the objects of greatest interest, and commands a good view of the 
Yosemite and Nevada Falls which are not visible from Cloud's 
Eest. The Sentinel Dome commands a good view of the high Sierra, 
but the valley with its falls and cliffs generally is seen more satis- 
factorily from Glacier Point. Every addition to the height and dis- 
tance renders the landscape more dim. 

Glacier Point. — Glacier Point, one mile east of Sentinel Rock, 
and 3,705 feet above the valley, should be the first place for the 
tourist to visit. The trail leading to it, one of the most interesting 
in the valle}*, starts near the base of Sentinel Eock, and with an 
eastward zigzag, ascends the steep mountain side, presenting a suc- 
cession of interesting A-iews. The visitor should not, however, stop 
a longer time than is needed for rest, until he reaches Glacier Point, 
where the cliff juts out into the valley, and commands a series of 
extensive views, reaching from the southeast almost to the south- 
west, and including the Xevada Fall, Cap of Liberty, Half Dome, 
North Dome, Eoyal Arches, Yosemite Fall, and the Capitan. All 
these are within a radius of about 2 miles, and the situation is ex- 
cellent for seeing their beauties; nor can they be seen so well from 
any other point, not even from Sentinel Dome, which is too far from 
many of them, as well as too far above them, to give a distinct view. 
Numerous peaks of the high Sierra appear in the distance. 

Those who wish to obtain a distinct idea of the position of the 
peaks visible from Glacier Point, with reference to the main ridge 
of the chain and the streams flowing westward from the summit of 
the Sierra, will find something upon that point under the head 
California Alps. 

Elev.ations.— The following table shows the elevations in feet 
above the valley and above the sea, and the approximate distance 
in miles, and directions, from the Sentinel Dome, of various points 
in and near the Yosemite Valley, and also of some other notable 
points. Sentinel Dome is a mile and a half south-southeast from the 
village, and half a mile southwest from Glacier Point. 



THE SIERRA. 



165 



NAMES. 



Yosemite Village 

Mt, Hoffmann 

Mt. Watkins 

North Dome 

Washington Column 

Mt. Cenness 

Cathedral Peak 

Mono Lake 

Soda Springs 

Unicom Peak 

Half Dome 

Cloud's Eest 

Mt. Dana . , 

Glacier Point 

Cap of Liberty 

Nevada Fall 

Vernal Fall 

Mt. McClure 

Mt. Lyell 

Mt. Eitter 

Minarets 

Mt. Clark 

Tooloolweack Fall 

Mt. Starr King 

Black Mountain 

Buena Vista Peak , 

Iron Mountain , 

Mariposa Big Trees 

Big Tree Station 

Devil's Mountain 

Cathedral Rocks 

Mt. Bullion 

Pilot Peak 

Capitan 

Hetchhetchy Valley 

Three Brothers 

Sentinel Rock 

Top Upper Yosemite Fall . 

Mt, Whitney 

Mt. Brewer 

Mt. Hamilton 

Mfc. Diablo 



ELEVATIONS. 



Above Above 
Valley, Sea 



6,872 
7,568 



4,000 

10,872 

3,568 



7,000 
2,400 
4,680 



4,737 
6,150 
9,227 
3,705 



2,660 



3,300 



3,400 
3,043 
2,640 

10,887 
9,386 



11,000 
6,400 
8,680 



Direction. 



8,737 
10,150 
13,227 

7,705 



13,217 
13,520 



4,000 



6,660 
5,000 



7,300 



7,400 
7,043 
6,640 
14,887 
13,386 
4,449 
3,848 



N. of N. N. W 

N. N. E. 

N. N. E. 

N. N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

E. N. E. 

E. N. E. 

N. E. 

N. E. 

E. of E. N. E. 

E. of E. N. E. 

E. of E. N. E. 

E. of E. N. E. 

E. of E. N. E. 

E. of E. S. E. 

E. of E. S. E. 

E. S. E. 

E. S. E. 

E. S. E. 

S. E. , 
S. S. E. 
S. S. E. 

S. 
S. S. W. 

s. s. w. 
w. 
w. 

W.ofW.N.W. 
W.ofW.N.W. 

N. W. 

N. W. 

N. W. 

N. N. W. 

S. E. 

S. E. 

W. 

W. N. W. 



Dis- 
tance. 



9 

4i 

3 

2i 
22^ 
13i 
31 
16i 
13^ 

3^ 

6 
23 

h 

2f 

2f 
If 

162 

17 

21 

22^ 
9 

4 
15 

9 
16^ 

l^ 

15 

3 
20 
19 

3 
18 

2 

100 

80 

100 

130 



Ifi6 THE SIEHKA. 

The Half Dome. — The Half Dome— one of the most prominent 
features in the scenery of Yosemite, in General shape, suggests half 
an egg which has been cut in two lengthwise, and set up on the bluut 
end. The summit is 4,737 feet above the valley, and for 2.000 feet 
down from the top, the face fronting the northwest is straight and 
plumb, and Ijelow that point the mountain, or the talus, slopes down 
at an angle of 40^^ to the horizon. The peak is in no place 
more than 1,500 feet through horizontally, from northwest to south- 
east, the height being considerably greater than the width in that 
direction. A horse trail ascends high up on the eastern side of the 
dome, and the tourist after dismounting, must walk half a mile over 
the talus, and climb several hundred yards on a rocky slope 
that rises at an angle of 38° to the horizon. The ascent is made 
with the help of a rope, and at intervals of 10 feet there are resting 
places. There is no charge for the use of the trail or rope. About 
one in 30 of the Yosemite tourists goes to the top of the South Dome. 

Professor Whitney speaks thus of this "truly marvelous crest of 
rock:" "From all the upper part of the valley, and from the 
heights about it, the Half Dome presents an aspect of the most im- 
posing grandeur; it strikes even the most casual observer as a new 
revelation in mountain forms; its existence would be considered an 
impossibility if it were not tbere before us in all its reality; it is an 
unique thing in mountain scenery, and nothing even approaching it 
can be found except in the Sierra Nevada. " 

Royal Arches. — On the north side of the valley, directly oppo- 
site to Glacier Point are the "Royal Arches," a wall of nearly ver- 
tical rock, from the sides of which huge masses have fallen, leaving 
arches 300 to 400 feet in length, and projecting, like eyebrows, 70 or 
80 feet beyond the hollow part of the wall beneath them. 

Washington Column.— East of the Royal Arches, at a bend in 
the nortlwrn wall of the valley, is the Washington column, rising 
vertically to a height of 2,400 feet. As seen from the southwest it 
suggests a round tower at the corner of an immense castle. 

Sorth Dome. — Half a mile northward from the Washington 
Column is the North Dome, the summit of which, 3,568 feet above 
the valley, can be reached on horseback from the north. The view 
is considered inferior to that from many other points in the vicinity. 

Mirror Laiie. — About half a mile eastward from the Washing- 
ton Column is Mirror Lake, an enlargement of Tenaya Creek, with 
an area of 8 acres and a depth at the deepest place of 20 feet. The- 
w^ater is remarkably clear, and before the winds rise in the morning, 
so placid, that reflections of the Half Dome and the Washington 
Column are wonderfully like the direct view of those objects. 

Vernal Fall. — The Merced River enters the Yosemite Valley 
from the southeastward, and shortly before reaching it, makes the 
Nevada and Vernal Falls, the latter the lower of the two. The 
Vernal Fall, 2i miles in a direct line from the village, is 475 feet 
high, and because less in height than the other falls, while the quau- 



TilE SIliKKA. 



167 




VERNAL FALL. 



168 THE SIERRA. 

tity of water is greater than in any save the Nevada, it is distin- 
guished by the greenness of its color, and from that circumstance ob- 
tained its name. A natural battlement of rock at the top, just high 
enough to lean upon and look over, ofiFers a convenient place for see- 
ing the cataract from above. The narrowness and roughness of the 
canyon below, limits the views from that direction. In the distance 
of a mile, between the Nevada and Vernal Falls, the river makes a 
descent of 275 feet, with numerous beautiful rapids, and little cas- 
cades, the largest of which, the Wild Cat Fall, is 30 feet high. 

The Nevada Fall.— The Nevada Fall is 639 fqet high, and it is 
rather a slide or chute than a fall, for the water runs down a rock 
which has a slope of 85" for about half its height, and 75" the other 
half. The friction of the rock breaks the stream into a white froth, 
and hence the name of Nevada or snowy. For ages and until some- 
time in this century, the river made its descent a few hundred yards 
east of the Nevada Fall, where it cut a canyon nearly 100 yards 
deep, f o that the fall was not mor« than 400 feet. That old chan- 
nel, which can be seen in most photographs of the Fall, was choked 
up by a raft or accumulation of trees and dirt, and so the river was 
turned into its present course. Mr. Bowles says of the Nevada : 
" This is the fall of falls; there is no rival to it here in exquisite, 
various, and fascinating beauty ; and Switzerland, which abounds 
in waterfalls of like type, holds none of such peculiar charms. Not 
a drop of the rich stream of water but is white in its whole passage ; 
it is one sheet — rather one grand lace-work of spray — from begin- 
ning to end. As it sweeps down its plane of rock, every drop all 
distinct, all alive, there is notliing of human art that you can com- 
pare it with but innumerable and snow-white point-lace collars and 
capes ; as much n)ore delicate, and beautiful, and perfect, however, 
as nature ever is than art." 

The opinion of Whitney is thus expressed: ** The Nevada Fall 
is, in every respect, one of the grandest waterfalls in the world, 
whether we consider its vertical height, the purity and volume of 
the river which forms it, or the stupendous scenery by which it is 
environed." 

Little Yosemite Valley, half a mile above the Nevada Fall, is a 
mile and a half long and half a mile wide, and has some beautiful 
timber and meadow land, but lacks the cliffs and waterfalls that 
give majestj' to the main valley. 

Cap of Liberty. — Cap of Liberty, north of the Nevada Fall and 
very near it, rises steeply to a height of 4,600 ieet above the valley, 
a magnificent dome, which in its general shape bears some resem- 
blance to a Phrygian cap. Half a mile further north is Wild Cat 
Rock, the sunnnit of which is about 4,200 feet above the valley. 
Its southern face is a cliff 1,600 feet high and nearly vertical. 

Mt. Starr King:. — Five miles southeastward from the village and 
half that distance in the same direction from the Vernal Fall, is Mt. 
Starr King, the summit of which, 5,600 feet above the valley, has 



THE SIERRA. 100 

never l>een loaclied by civilized men, the slopes beinj^ too steep for 
ascent. Professor Whitney says of it: "This is the most sym- 
metrical and beautiful of all the dome shaped masses around the 
Yosemite; but it is not visible from the valley itself. It exhiliits 
the concentric structure of the granite on a grand scale, althoupjh 
its surface is generally smooth and unbroken. Its summit is abso- 
lutely inaccessible." Mt. Starr King is visible from the valley near 
the base of the Yosemite Fall. 

Cloud's Rest.— The summit of Cloud's Rest, 10,150 feet above 
tlie sea, and 6 miles east, northeast from the village, the highest 
point within the limits of the Yosemite grant, can be reached on 
horseback without diflicult3\ Tourists making this trip, spend the 
night at Snow's, near the foot of the Nevada Fall, start early in 
the morning, reach the summit before noon, spend several hours 
there, and return either to Snow's or to the valley. The view from 
Cloud's Rest is very comprehensive, and for the high Sierra is excel- 
lent, but the most interesting points are so distant, and so bedimmed 
with haze tliat the trip is not to be recommended for any, save those 
who feel a special interest in the higher mountains. For seeing tlie 
valley, the position and distance are equally unfavorable. The best 
way to reach Cloud's Rest is to go to the Nevada Fall in the morn- 
ing and spend the day there, seeing everything within convenient 
distance of the hotel, where the night is to l)e spent, mount at 6 
o'clock the next morning, reach the summit (distance 9 miles) at 10 
or 11; stay till 1 o'clock ; and reach the fall at 4 and the village 
at 6.30. 

Tooloolweack Fall.— A mile southeastward from the Vernal 
Fall is a cascade 800 feet high, formed by the Tooloolweack Creek, 
as the stream is generally styled in the valley, though Whitney, 
by a strange misunderstanding of the Indian name, calls it the 
Illilouette. As the Merced River and Yosemite Creek have aban- 
doned old channels to make the Yosemite and Nevada Falls, so the 
Tooloolweack has changed its course, and tlie cascade comes down 
into the canyon, not at its head, but at its side. The canyon 
abounds with pleasant vegetation, beautiful rocks and wild scenes, 
amidst immense blocks of granite, leaving large cavern-like spaces 
between and under them. The foot of the fall would have many 
visitors if accessible on horseback, but it cannot be reached without 
2 miles of walking and climbing. In the canyon beyond the fall, 
and nearly on a level with its top, is a cavern 250 feet high, 100 feet 
wide across its mouth, and running 150 feet back into the rock. 

Snow and Hail. — In the average winter the valley is covered for 
several months with snow, which occasionally reaches a depth of 8 
feet, but besides the snow from the clouds, there is a formation of 
snow, or line hail, about the falls from the freezing of the spray. 
This spray-hail collects in large quantities about the higher falls, 
and at the foot of the Upper Yosemite Cascade forms an arch, or 
ice-bridge, sometimes 100 yards high over the stream. The process 



170 THE SIERRA. 

of freezing does not end with the winter months, but iinder the 
influence of strong gusts of wind, and rapid evaporation continues 
when the thermometer marks a temperature of 50° in the valley. 
The tourist is not secure against a little hailstorm at the falls in the 
early spring, even though the weather be moderately warm. 

Saddle-horse Cliargres. — The Board of Yosemite Commissioners, 
of which the Rev. M. C. Briggs is the Secretary, has published the 
following as the maximum rates which may be charged by the day for 
saddle-horses kept in the valley for the accommodation of tourists, 
who, however, in some cases, may obtain lower figures by bargaining. 

1. From any hotel in the valley to Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, 
and return by same route, $3.00. 

2. From valley to Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, Nevada Fall, and 
Snow's (passing night at Snow's), $3.00. 

3. From valley direct to Snow's and Nevada Fall, passing by Ver- 
nal Fall, and returning to valley the same day, $3.00. 

4. From Snow's to Cloud's Rest and back to Snow's ; or valley, 
the same day, $3.00. 

5. From valley direct to Cloud's Rest and back to Snow's, $3.00. 

6. From valley direct to Cloud's Rest and back to valley same 
day, $5.00. 

7. From Snow's to valley, $2.00. 

8. From valley to Upper Yosemite Fall, Eagle Point, and return, 
$3.00. 

9. For the use of saddle horses on the level of the valley, per 
day, $2.50. 

Carriage Charges. — The Commissioners have published the fol- 
lowing schedule of maximum rates for a party of not fewer than 4 
persons who take a carriage: 

1. To Bridal Veil Fall and return, each person, $1.00. 

2. To Mirror Lake, $1.00. 

3. To the Cascades, passing by and stopping at the Bridal Veil, 
$3.00. 

4. To the Cascades and return, $2.00, 

5. To Bridal Veil and Artist's Point, $2.00. 

(Tiiide and Trail Charges.- -The Commissioners say: "The 
charge for guide (including horse), when furnished, will be $3 per 
day. The above charges do not cover feed for the horses at Snow's, 
nor tolls on the various trails. These latter are as follows: 

" To Glacier Point, each person, $1.00. 

" To foot of Upper Yosemite Fall, 50 cents. 

' * From foot of Upper Yosemite Fall to Eagle Point, 50 cents. 

"Nevada Fall, 75 cents. 

"Mirror Lake in a carriage (tourists on foot or horseback free), 50 
cents." 

(xuides. — In the hotels the charge per day is $3.50. One guide will 
suffice for 12 tourists. The horses may often be obtained for less than 
$3.00, if there is a party. It is the duty of the guide to see that the 



THE SIERRA. 171 

saddles are all right before mounting, to assist the party in mounting, 
to carry the lunch, to see that the saddles do not slip too far back while 
going up hill, nor too far forward while going down, to take charge of 
the horses at the stopping places, to assist in preparing the lunch, and 
to point out the places of interest. The Yosemite guides, generally 
are affable, trustM^orthy men, with little education, and a very 
limited knowledge of the country, beyond the common trails. It is 
their general policy to start as late, stop as often, stay as long, and 
make the work as easy as possible for themselves and horses. 

Horses. — The Yosemite horses are generally old nags of little 
use for other purposes, and they pay for themselves three or four 
times over in a season. They are much safer for the average tourist 
than spirited young horses would be. Thereare wagon roads from end 
to end of the valley, but the tourist who visits Glacier Point, Sentinel 
Dome, the Nevada Fall, Cloud's Rest, the top of the half Dome, 
the foot of the Upper Yosemite Fall, or Eagle Point, and these in- 
clude the chief attractions, must go afoot or on horseback; and the 
latter is the easier and more satisfactory, and for ladies and men 
not of robust health is the only possible conveyance. 

6}uardian of the Valley. — The Yosemite Commissioners appoint 
a guardian, who is to reside in the valley through the tourist season, 
to protect the interests of the State, to superintend the improve- 
ments made, and to see that the hotel keepers, trail owners, guides, 
and owners of horses and carriages do not exceed the legal cliarges. 
His duties have not been defined in precise language, and much is 
necessarily left to his discretion. The present guardian is James 
M. Hutchings, who was one of the first to visit the valley, and to 
make his permanent home in it; one of the most active in bringing 
it into public notoriety, and, as keeper of a hotel there for many 
years, and otherwise, extensively known among Yosemite tourists. 
He has published a book about the valley, is familiar with its sur- 
roundings, is an enthusiast as to its attractions, and by his afiability 
and readiness to give information, has made himself a general favor- 
ite. Tourists, therefore, who want information about the valley, 
about the routes, the guides, the horses, the places of interest, or 
the charges, can go to him without hesitation. Mr. Hutchings 
wrote thus, in response to a private letter: " In answer to your 
last question I am somewhat at a loss. I scarcely know the scope 
of my authority myself. I think it means that I must protect all 
the best interests of the valley — not only in seeing that its natural 
beauties of forest, etc., arc preserved, but also, that courtesy and 
right should be assured the tourist, so as to enable him to see our 
wonders in a good frame of mind — not chafed by impertinent eon- 
duct, or pained by extortionate charges. That at any, and at all 
times, I should be ready to give information on every subject re- 
cpiired; show every attention in my power — in short, make the visit 
a pleasure, and its memory a delight, so that every person leaving 
Yosemite shall feel that he has been \\ ell and kindly treated, has 



1Y2 T^^ SIERRA. 

had a good time, and wherever he goes can say a good word for both 
the valley and the people of California. I think that is about the 
scope of my duties in that particular. Pei-haps I ought to have said 
above, that I have positive orders from the Board to order out every 
unsuitable or untrustworthy horse from any saddle train or carriage." 

Yoseiiiite Valley. — The collection of houses near the Yosemite 
hotel constitutes a village with perhaps 50 inliabitants in the summer 
and not half so many in winter. It has a post-ofhce and receives its 
mail daily from April 1st to August 30th, three times a week in Sep- 
tember and October, and once a week in the other four months. 
The three hotels can accommodate about 500 persons, and are ready 
to receive visitors in the winter, though very few make their appear- 
ance from November 1st to ^larch 30th. There are also, in the 
summer, about '25 Indians who have wigwams near the base of the 
Capitan and gain a living by washing and iishing. 

Method ol Formation. — It is evident that most of the great 
canyons of the Sierra Xevada have been formed by erosion — that is, 
by the wearing influence of streams of water, and of the matter 
which they have carried down. But the Yosemite Valley is an 
exception. These vertical walls, half a mile deep, with numerous 
sharp angles, could scarcely have been formed by water, and the 
narrowness of the canj^on below shows that there never has been 
any sufficient outlet for a large stream. Besides, it is evident that, 
since the main chasm was formed, great masses of rock have been 
split off, in many places, from the sides, and if the valley had been 
the result of erosion, these masses would have made mountains in 
it. The most probable explanation of its origin is the theory that 
it was formed by a great convulsion which tore apart the mountain 
to a depth very much greater than that now perceptible, that vast 
masses of rock fell down into the chasm, and that after a time they 
were covered up by tlie washing of the waters, leaving a level val- 
ley over them. Professor Whitney says : "It appears to us proba- 
ble that this mighty chasm has been roughly hewn into the present 
form by the same kind of forces which have raised the crest of the 
Sierra and moulded the surface of the mountains into something 
like their present shape. The Domes and such masses as that of 
Mount Bi'oderick, we conceive to have been formed by the process 
of upheaval itself, for we can discover nothing about them that 
looks like the result of oi'dinary denudation. The Half Dome seems, 
beyond a doubt, to have been split asunder in the middle, the lost 
half having gone down in what may truly be said to have been 'the 
wreck of matter and the crash of worlds. ' * * * If the bottom 
of the Yosemite did ' drop out, ' to use a homely, but expressive 
phrase, it was not all done in one piece or with one movement, there 
are evidences in the valley of fractures and cross-fractures at right 
angles to these, and the difi"erent segments of the mass must have 
been of quite dififerent sizes, and may haVe descended to unequal 
depths," 



THE SIEREA. 173 

Again, Prof. Whitney says : " The eroded canyons of the Sierra, 
however, whose formation is due to the action of water, never have 
vertical walls, nor do their sides present the peculiar angular forms 
which are seen in the Yosemite, as, for instance, on El Capitan, 
where two perpendicular surfaces of smooth granite, more than 
3,000 feet high, meet each other at right-angles. It is sulhcicnt to 
look for a moment at the vertical faces of El Capitan and the Bridal 
Veil Rock, turned down the valley, or away from the direction in 
which the eroding forces must have acted, to be able to say that 
aqueous erosion could not have been the agent employed to do any 
such work. The squarely cut reentering angles, like tliosc below 
El Capitan, and between Cathedral Hock and the Sentinel, or in 
the Illilouette Canyon, were never produced by ordinary erosion. 
Much less could any such cause be called into account for the 
peculiar formation of the Half Dome, the vertical portion of which 
is all above the ordinary level of the walls of the valley, rising 
2,000 feet in sublime isolation, above any point that could have been 
reached by denuding agencies, even supposing the current of water 
to have felled tlie whole valley." 

John Muir published a series of articles in the Overland Month! i/, 
taking the ground that the Yosemite Valley was formed by glaciers, 
which were undoubtedly numerous in the vicinity during the glacial 
era of this coast, but the valley has features not to be found in any 
valley or deep gorge unquestionably scooped out by glaciers. Such 
valleys have neither vertical sides, sharp angles nor narrow can3'ons 
at their lower ends. The glacial polish and groovings are found in 
all the canyons leading into Yosemite Valley, and especially in the 
Little Yosemite Canyon, at the lowest jjlace where it can be crossed, 
and also on the rocks at the Nevada Fall. A moraine runs from 
the base of the Half Dome to the Washington Column, extending 
from each side in a curve down the valley. Another begins at the 
western end of the South Dome, and runs down the valley. 
Another marks tlie line on which the glaciers from the Little 
Yosemite and Hlilouette met. A fourth starts just below the Bri- 
dal Veil Fall on one side and a quarter of a mile below the Capitan 
at the other, and runs down to a point in the middle of the valley. 

Professor Whitney thus expresses his opinion on the glacial 
theory : "A more absurd theory was never advanced than that, by 
which it was sought to ascribe to glaciers the sawing out uf these 
vertical walls and the rounding of the domes. Nothmg more 
unlike the real work of ice, as exhibited in the Alps, could bo 
found." 

Other Yoseniites. — The Sierra Nevada has 4 other great chasms 
bearing some general resemblance to the Yosemite Valley. The 
most distant of these, and the most difficult of access, the Kern 
River Chasm, 150 miles southeast of Yosemite, is larger than the 
latter, and has higher walls, but they are less steep, and the water- 
falls are decidedly inferior. The Kings' River Canyon, 75 miles 



174 THE SIERRA. 

southeast from the Yosemite, is grand, but that, too, lacks the 
waterfalls. The San Joaquin, 25 miles southeastward from the 
Yosemite, is the least interesting of the series. The Hetchhetchy, 
on the Tuolumne, 14 miles in a direct line northwest from Yosemite, 
bears the closest resemblance to it, in its construction of cliffs, cas- 
cades and domes, but is on a smaller scale. This minor Yosemite 
is 3,800 feet above the sea, 3 miles long and is cut in two near the 
middle by a hill, which comes down to the edge of the stream. The 
direction of the valley is east and west; its width, at the widest, 
half a mile. Xear the middle on the northern side, is a perpendicu- 
lar cliff, 1,300 feet high above a talus, 500 feet high; and in the 
spring, while the snow is melting, a large creek makes a splendid 
cataract over the precipice. Before the end of summer, the stream 
ceases to How. Half a mile further east, on tlie same side, is the 
Hetchhetchy Fall, 1,700 feet high, but not vertical. The stream is 
constant, and when large, the roaring of its cascades can be heard a 
long distance. There is very little talus in the valley except under 
the falls. There are numerous marks of glauer action in the valley, 
through which, according to Prof. Whitney, the big glacier that 
headed at Mt. Dana and Mt. Lyell made its way. The valley can 
be reached from Big Oak Flat, by going IS miles on the Yosemite 
trail to Hardin's fence; then turning to the left 7 miles to Reservoir 
or ^Vade's Meadows; crossing the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne to 
the Hog Ranch, 5 miles; thence up a diAnde between the middle 
fork and the main river, 2 miles to the Canyon Ranch, and 6 miles ' 
down through the rocks to Hetchhetchy Valley. The total distance 
from Big Oak Flat is 3S miles. 

Mountain Topoarraphy. — Mt. Lyell, 13.217 feet high, the near- 
est part of the main ridge of the Sierra Xevada to the Yosemite 
Valley, only 17 miles from Sentinel Dome, and in plain view, though 
it does not tower much above the level of other peaks in the vicinity, 
is remarkable, because three of the leading rivers of the State rise 
on its slopes. The Tuolumne rises in a glacier or bank of snow 
that never fully disappears, in a deep canyon 2 miles long and a 
mile wide, running due north from the peak. The Merced flows 
down its western flank. A mile and a half south of the Sum- 
mit, the San Joaquin heads and takes a soxithward direction. The 
snows melting on tlie eastern flank of the mountain send their 
waters into ^lono Lake. 

Mt. Conness, Mt. Dana and Mt. Gibbs, north of Mt. Lyell, and 
Mt. Ritter and the Minarets to the soutliward, are all on the main 
ridge of the Sierra. The waters on the western side flow to the 
San Joaquin Valley, and on the eastern, to the Utah Basin. 

A secondary ritlge of the Sierra Nevada running northwestward 
from Mt. Lyell, and serving to separate the headwaters of the 
Tuolumne from those of the Merced River, reaches its most notable 
elevations in L^nicorn Peak and Cathedral Peak. A spur run)iing 
southwestward connects this ridge with Mt. Hoffman, which separ- 



THE SIERRA. 175 

ates the Tcnaj'a Fork of the Merced from the Yosemite Creek, Mt. 
Watkins is lower down on the same spur. 

Cloud's Rest and the Half Dome are on the spur or tertiary ridge 
which separates tlie Tenaya Fork from the main Merced, which has 
its head in Mt. Lyell, and passes from the Little Yosemite Valley 
to the Yosemite Valley l)y tlie Nevada and Vernal Falls. 

Starting from the main ridge, a n)ile .south of the summit of Mt. 
Lyell, the secondary ridge dividing the headwaters of the Merced 
from those of the San Joaquin, runs southwest ward. Its most 
notable points are Red Peak, 9; and Black and Iron Peaks, each 14 
miles from Mt. Lyell. At Red Peak a tertiary ridge, running out 
7 miles to the northeastward, and separating the w^aters of the main 
Merced from those of the Tooloolweack Creek, has Grey Peak mid- 
way in its length, and Obelisk Peak, or Clark Mountain, at its end. 
The last named peak is only 15 miles from Sentinel Dome, whence 
tiie tourist can look into the canyons opening to the northwest and 
see snow, when southward slopes at higher elevations are bare or 
green. Clark, Grey, Red and Black Peaks are all about 11,000 feet 
high. Buena Vista Peak is on a tertiary ridge that starts out to the 
westward from Red Peak, and separates Tooloolweack Creek from 
the South Fork of the Merced. 

The Devil's Peak is on a ridge that separates the waters of the 
Merced from those of the Chowchilla River. 

The Californian Alps. — When we reach the Yosemite we are 
near the northern end of a mountain region known as the Califor- 
nian Alps, which extend from the 35th to the 38th parallel of lati- 
tude, and have an area of 300 square miles more than 8,000 feet 
high, with 100 peaks that rise to an elevation of 13,000 feet or 
more. No one of these peaks rises, however, very nmch above the 
level of adjacent peaks and, therefore, the spectator looking from 
Sentinel Dome or Cloud's Rest sees no one mountain obviously pre- 
dominant over all the others. Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in 
the State, is not known by sight to the people generally in Owen 
Valley, 20 miles eastward, nor to those in the San Joaquin Valley, 
30 miles westward. 

The mcjst interesting excursion to be made from the Yosemite 
within a period of 4 or 5 days, is to visit the Tuolumne Meadows, 
16^ miles to the northeast. The tourist can ascend Mt. Hoffman, 
.see the Mt. Lyell glacier, and find himself among the very high 
points of the Sierra during this trip, with comparatively little effort. 
If he sees fit to prolong his stay, he can go to the top of ^Mt. Dana, 
13,227 feet above the sea, and then he can go to the glacier at the 
headwaters of the Tuolumne River, on the northern slope of Mt. 
Lyell. Mt. Dana is on the main ridge of the Sierra, and commands 
a view of Owen Valley on the east, and of the San Joaquin Valley 
on the west. The tourist should leave the Yosemite by the Eagle 
Point Trail, and if he intends to ascend Mt. Hoffman, should cam]) 
the first night at Porcupine Flat, 8,173 feet above the sea, 12 



176 THE SIERRA. 

miles by the trail from his starting point, and 4 miles southwest of 
the summit. Prof. Whitney says: "The view from the summit of 
^It. Hoffman is remarkably fine, and those who have not time or 
inclination to visit the higher peaks of the main ridge of the Sierra, 
are strongly advised to ascend this, as the trip from the Yosemite 
and back, need only occupy 2 or 3 days. * * * This is a par- 
ticularly good point for getting an idea of the almost inaccessible 
region of volcanic masses lying between the Tuolumne River and 
the Sonera Pass road, and forming great tables, in places 700 feet 
thick, resting on the granite, at an elevation of 3,000 feet above the 
adjacent valleys, the dark lava contrasting finely in color with the 
almost white granite masses. The number of distinct peaks, ridges 
and tables visible in that direction, crowded together, is too great to be 
counted. " The next camp should be at the Soda Springs, on the bank 
of the Tuolumne River, 8,680 feet above the sea, near the Tuolumne 
Meadows, and in the grandest scenerj^ of the high Sierra. ' ' The vi- 
cinity of Soda Springs and, indeed, the whole i-egion about the head of 
the Upper Tuolumne, " as Prof. Whitney remarks, ' 'is one of the finest 
in the State for studying the traces of the ancient glacier system of 
tlie Sierra Xevada. The valleys of both the Mt. Lyell and Mt. 
Dana forks exhibit abundant evidence of having been tilled, at no 
very remote period, with an immense body of moving ice, which 
has everywhere rounded and polished the surface of the rocks, up 
to 1,000 feet above the level of the river. This polish extends over 
a vast area, and is so perfect tliat the surface is often seen from a 
distance to glitter with the light reflected fi'om it as from a mirror. 
Not only have we these evidences of the former existence of glaciers, 
Init all the phenomena of the moraines — lateral, medial and termi- 
nal — are here displayed on the grandest scale." At the Soda Springs 
the tourist is in the midst of high peaks, which wall him in. Mt. 
Hoffman is 10 miles westward, Mt. Conness 8 miles northward, Mt. 
Dana and Mt. Gibbs are 8 miles eastward, Mt. Maclure and Mt. 
Lyell are 10 miles south-eastward, and Cathedral Peak and Unicorn 
Peak are 4 miles southward. The water of the springs is mildly 
chalybeate and sparkling with carbonic acid gas. "Of all the 
excursions," in the opinion of Prof. Whitney, "that can be made 
from the Soda Springs, the one most to. be recommended, is the 
"ascent of !Mt. Dana, as being entirely without difficulty or danger, 
and as offering one of the grandest panoramic views wliich can be 
liad in the Sierra Nevada. * * * Several parties have ascended, 
riding nearly to the summit on horseback, and there can be no 
tloubt that the ascent will, in time, become well known and popular 
among tourists." 

Big: Tree Station.— Big Tree Station, 25 miles from the Valley, 
and about on the same level, 4000 feet above the sea. is near the 
South Fork of the Merced River, in the midst of a pleasant meadow. 
The hotel large, well furnished, and well kept. The mountains in 
the neighborhood have deer, bear and other game, and the streams 



THE SIERRA. 177 

have trout. A fall about 400 feet high of the Chilnoialny Creek, 
distant 4 miles to tlie east-northeastward, is visible from the hotel. 
Devil's Mountain is 4^ miles distant to the westward. Mt. Kay- 
monil is 7 miles and Iron Mountain Peak 10 miles away to the east- 
south-eastward ; and Buena Vista Peak 9 miles to the east-south- 
east. Most of these points, however, are not visible from the hotel. 

Mariposa Biijr Trees. — Seven miles by the wagon road from the 
Big Tree Hotel Station is the Mariposa Big Tree (xrove, which, for 
persons going to Yosemite, is the most conxeniently accessible of all 
the groves of tlie sequoia glf/antea, and although in some respects 
inferior to other groves, is large enough in the number, diameter and 
height of its trees to satisfy the beholder. It has 427 trees, the 
largest 34 feet through ; 2, each of 33 feet ; 13 between 25 and 32 
feet ; 36 between 20 and 25 feet ; and 82 between 15 and 20 feet. 
The total numl)er exceeding 15 feet in diameter is 134 ; and 293 are 
of smaller sizes, some not more than 2 feet through. The highest 
tree is 272 feet : and others have heights of 270, 208, 260, 256, 255, 
250, 249, 244, 243 and 235, making 11 more than 2.30 feet high. 
The largest tree in circumference at the ground was 92^ feet ; and 
others 9U, 89^, 87^, 86i, 82^, 82^, 814 and 8U, making 9 trees, 
each more than 80 feet in circumference at the ground, according to 
J. D. AVhitney. Of the tree 91 ^ feet in circumference, he says it 
is "a splendid tree, over 100 feet in circumference originally, but 
much burned at the base." Several of these trees have been cut 
through, leaving part of the trunk on each side, so that the stage, 
with its passengers, can go under as if they were driving through 
a tunnel. 

Everybody who approaches these trees, can see that they are 
large, but few without experience, imagine them to be so tall or 
thick in the trunk as tliey really are. 

Prof. Whitney, says: "The more time one spends among these 
trees, the more their grand proportions and colossal size become 
impressed on the mind. The extraordinary dimensions of the other 
species, which are associated with the Big Trees, especially of the 
Sugar Pine — a tree of which the beauty and majesty can hardly be 
exaggerated — make it difficult to realize that these are really so 
large, as exact measurements prove them to be." 

The same authority wrote thus, in reference to the matter of age : 
"The age of the tree which was cut down in the Calaveras Grove, 
and which at feet above the ground, has a diameter of 23 feet 
inside the bark, [sometimes 3 feet thick, so that the diameter of the 
tree may have been 29 feet], was found to be about 1300 years. It 
was easy to count tlie annual rings — and they amounted to 1255 in 
number — but there being a small space, about a foot in diameter at 
the centre of the tree, from which the wood was decayed away, it 
would be a reasonable estimate to call the age of this jjarticular tree 
about 1300 years. The ditference in the rapidity of its growth at 
different ages may be inferred from the fact that the width occupied 



|-o THE SIEHEA. 



by 100 rings at the centre of the tree was 13 inches, and next to the 

''%H ""fc'r'ra Forest. - A full appreciation of the attractive 
features ot' a LgnfhVent forest, req^liks besides a poetic taste a so 
that closeness of observation wliich comes with botanical knowledge 
and familiarity with lumbering. Perliaps no one has written better 
Tout the timber of the Sierra Nevada tlian Horace Greeley, wl o 

had lelrLd"^^^^^^^^^ "i *«<=' "M''^ ^™*'"S ™ " /'■"■'"; "t ™i 
■•And here let me renew my tribute to the marve ous boiinty and 
beaniy of tie forests of this whole mountain region. The Sierra 
Nevada lack the glorious glaciers, the frequent rams the rich 
vertoe, tte abundant catarLts of tlie Alps; hut they f surpass 
them-they surpass any other mountains I ever saw-in the wealtli 
and £rrace?f their trees Look down from almost any of their pealvs 
a four liige if vision is filled, bounded, satisfied, by what might 
be termed aimpest-tossed sea of evergreens, fi"";g «™7 "P^ «> 

^^rSdlnflt^JlSt^^^^^^^^^ 

¥ niirrS^^^^^^^^^^ 

ai?i r»fldeTt? ife mo^ Wtiful trees on earth. The dry proin- 
iZies wS separate, these n-eadows, are also cov^ered with a 
species of spruce which is only less gracetnl than the to 

ralavcns Bi2 Trees.— There are 9 gi'oves of the Big liees m 
«"ra™TheVost' northern is the Calaveras gro^. in la ituce 
38-15', at an elevation of 4,750 feet a'-- «- - The tre<. arc 
scattered over an area 6,Z0(' leer lou^ u^ / » 

inn nf larcrp size besides many smaller ones. One tree is .izo iceu 
m1 anXr 319 a third Sisf a fourth 307, and 20 others are more 
S2Tot:t high. The largest ^^ diametejM.as a cjj.um erenc^^^^^^ 
61 feet, 6 feet above the ground; the next has o3 ' ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
51 • ^ have 50 : and many have between 40 and 50. -L^is ^ro^ « 
?ie' nearest to San Francisco, is the only one that has a hotel and 

Elsrs^»tm;s:^^ir«-^j^:?o 

YoseSite, while t'-'-flj-Vp^rreiKer^ira Calaveras Sequoia, 
years after it had been thus denuded. 



THK SIEKKA. 



179 




MOTHER OF THE FOKEST, CALAVERAS GROVE. 



180 THE SIERRA. 

Other (lirOTes. — The Stanislaus Grove, about 5 miles south of 
the Calaveras Grove is about as large, but is uot accessible by -wagon 
road and has no peculiar attractiveness. Its trees are about 600 in 
number but ;u-e not remarkable for size. 

The Tuolumne Grove is on the line of the Big Oak Flat road to 
the Yosemite, at an elevation of 5. GOO feet above the sea. The 
trees are few and relatively small, though one has a circumference 
of 57 feet, 3 feet above the ground. 

The fourth grove on our southward course, known as the Merced 
Grove, is a small collection of trees on the line of the wagon road 
from Coulterville into the Yosemite Valley. 

The fifth is the Mariposa Grove, which has been described. The 
Fresno Grove, 10 miles southciist from the Mariposa Grove, is the 
sixth. It is scattered over an area 3 miles long, and '2 miles wide, 
and has 600 trees. Fifty miles beyond, to the southward, is the 
Kings Eiver Grove, or belt, 10 miles long and 5 wide, with thou- 
sands of Stquoia^, most of them small, and some of them hu-ge. The 
eighth grove is in the basin of the Xorth Fork of the Tule Eiver. 
and the ninth, in the basin of the South Fork of the Tule Eiver, in 
latitude 36", is the last. 

Shasta. — Shasta is one of tlie grandest of mountains. Eising to 
a height of 14,440 feet in a plain, the general level of which is about 
3,500 feet above the sea, with some spurs above which it towers 
more than a mile and a half, it occupies a position of majestic soli- 
tude, and commands a view which, for extent, has few superiors. 
Covered with snow through most of the year, for 7,000 or 8,000 feet 
down from its summit, it is a beautiful and sublime feature in the 
landscape, as seen from a great portion of the ai'ea, within a circuit 
of 100 miles. On the northern and northeastern slopes the snow 
always supplies the predominant color of the mountain ; on the south- 
ern slopes, after a wet winter, the brilliant white mantle remains till 
the beginning of autumn. In the canyons, on the northern slopes, 
there are 5 glaciei-s, the largest of which is 3^ miles long and a mile 
wide, with a slope near its head of nearly 35^ of the mountitin as a 
whole. Prof. Whitney says of the peak: "The surprising regular- 
ity of its outline, :ind its beautiful conical form, have again and 
again excited our admiration. " 

The mountain is volcanic, and owes its predominance over the 
adjacent hills, and perliaps all its elevation above the neighboring 
plain, to the accumulation of ij:neous rock, thrown up through the 
numerous craters associated with it. There are two summits, about 
a mile apart, with a gap several thousand feet deep between them. 
The lower summit 13.*24"2 feet high, called the crater summit, had a 
crater nearly a mile in diameter, with an encircling wall 1000 feet 
high, but the western half of the wall has disapj-keared. The main 
summit had one m;un crater about half a mile in diameter, and four 
or five smaller ones. On the main pciUv, and only 450 feet alnsve its 
cxti-eme summit, there is a bench that formed part of a crater, and 



THE SIERRA. 181 

there, in the midst of a soil smoking with sulphurous vapors, and 
clastic under the -weight of a man, is a boiling spring of sulphur 
water. This spring is notable from the fact, that in 1875, when 
John Muir and his companion, Jerome Fay, were on the mountain, a 
ffliow storm caught tliem without fire, and they wouhl liave 
frozen to death if they had not been warmed or scaklcd by the hot 
nnul, first on one side and then on the other, half the body subject 
to intense cold while the other sufiered scalding heat. 

The lava from Shasta has flowctl out in immense streams, cover- 
ing an area of 5,000 square miles or more, and on its slopes there 
are 100 craters. The rock is a chocolate-colored lava. 

Ascent of Shasta. — Clarence King says of his ascent of Shasta: 
"I have never reached so high an altitude with so little labor." 
But he is a professional mountain climber, and it is not an easy 
matter to climb to an elevation of 14,000 feet on any peak. 
Tourists going to Shasta leave the railroad at Redding, ride 75 miles 
in a stage to Sisson's Hotel, at Strawberry Valley, ;-{,507 feet above 
the sea, which is at the western base of the mountain and IS miles 
from the Summit. At Sisson's the tourists take horses and a guide, 
and ride to the upper edge of the timbers on the southern slope, at 
an elevation of 8,000 feet. The nights there are very cold in the 
late summer or early fall, the best time for the ascent, and a large 
fire is kept up until 3 a. m., when they must rise, get breakfast, and 
start afoot. The summit may be reached by good climbers in from 
5 to 10 hours, according to the condition of the mountain and the 
weather. It frequently happens that steep slopes of hard snow are 
to be crossed, not without danger ; and these and mountain sickness 
induce many of those who start on the trip to turn back. 

View from 3IoiiIlt Shasta.— The best month to climb the moun- 
tain is in September ; the ])est to get a good view after tlie ascent 
becomes practicable is July. The view from the summit is very 
extensive, but nothing save rugged mountain is neai- enough to have 
its features distinctly visible. Yreka, the nearest town of note, has 
1,000 inhabitants and is 30 miles from the mountain, so that it is 
with ditficulty distinguishable by the naked eye on a clear day. 
The peaks of the Cascade Mountains, 200 miles to the northward, 
and those of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Mountains of California, 
further to the south are seen. Signals have been exchanged by 
observers of the Coast Survey with mirrors, between the summits 
of Shasta and St. Helena, but the points of both are so near the 
edge of the horizon that they cannot be distinguished even in the 
clearest weather without careful observation of the directions by the 
compass, and they are entirely hidden when there is a little haze in 
the atmosphere. One of the most beautiful parts of the scenery 
from Shasta is Mount Lassen, 70 miles distant, the only high peak 
distinctly visible from its foot to its summit. 

Another prominent mountain, nearer but relatively low, is Sheej) 
llockj near which is a remarkable cave, consisting of an archway of 



182 THE SIEREA. 

black lava 60 feet wide, 80 feet high, and half a mile long, under a 
roof 20 or 30 feet thick. Clarence King, quoting Whitney as his 
authority, thus explains the manner in which this singular cave had 
its origin : "A basalt stream flowing down from Shasta, cooled and 
hardened upon the surface, while within the mass remained molten 
and fluid. From simple pressure, the lava burst out at the lower 
end, and, flowing forth, left an empty tube." 

Descent from Shasta. — J. G. Lemmon, the botanist- who as- 
cended Shasta in 1879 wrote, that "The descent of Shasta is a 
speedy, and, in our case, was a most enjoyable experience. Arriv- 
ing at the top of the precipitous canyon, * * * * 
we prepai'ed to slide down on the now softened snow, by passing a 
loop of baling-rope attached to a barley sack over our necks, allow- 
ing the sack to drop down in front, then sitting down upon the 
sack for protection against injury to clothes — aye, and flesh, too, 
perhaps, if certain rocks known to be near the surface around 
yonder bend should be exposed by this warm afternoon sun. Sitting 
down on the edge of the precipice, then removing the pike from the 
snow, away we dropped one after the other, skurrying along and 
swaying from side to side, swiftly down the long canyon. At once, 
as soon as the leader plunged ofi" the precipice, he set up a shout of 
joy, which was taken up by each follower in turn, and soon a grand 
chorus of yells and cheers resounded all along the line. There were 
several collisions and upsets, which were instantly rectified, and 
one sharply-contested race. Friends at the hotel, 10 miles away, 
happened at the moment to be looking for us with the aid of opera 
glasses, and they declare that we shot down the whole mile and a 
half in less than half a minnte. It was noon next day before all the 
Shasta pilgrims became visfble around Mrs. Sisson's dining table, 
exhibiting nearly every degree of exhaustion, blindness and sufier- 
ing. Each had a story of special adventure to relate, and of pecu- 
liarly ecstatic enjoyment experienced, but the expression most often 
heard — the one that met with unanimous concurrence — was : ' I'll 
never be so foolish again.' " 

People frequently return from the top of the mountain to Sisson's 
in the afternoon, but many are too tired when they get back to the 
camp where the horses are, or the evening has advanced too far, 
and they stay there till morning. 

San Francisco to Shasta. — The time from San Francisco to 
Sisson's is 31 hours. Sisson's charge for a horse and guide is $10 
for each person, if there are 3 or more in the party ; §15 if there are 
2, and $20 if there is only 1. 

On the road from Redding to Sisson's, at an elevation of 2,363 
feet, are the Shasta Soda Springs of chalybeate water sparkling 
with carbonic acid gas. The Lower Soda Spring, the water of 
which is less palatal )le, are 3^ miles to the southward. Twelve 
miles from the Soda Springs, and 2h miles west from the road arc 



THE SIERRA. 183 

the Castle Rocks, a remarkable collection of granite pinnacles rising 
liigli above the adjacent colUltr3^ 

Scenery near Shasta. — There are a great number of volcanic 
cones northwest from Mt. Shasta. One of these, west of Shasta, 
and conspicuous in the landscape seen from Strawberry Valley, is 
Cone Mountain, a beautiful peak rising to a height of 3,000 feet 
above the adjacent country, with sides that have an angle of about 
30". Of Strawberry Valley, Prof. Whitney says : "The time will 
undoubtedly come, when the travel to this beautiful spot [Strawberry 
Valley] will be sufficient to justify more ample preparations than 
have yet been made to accommodate those wlio seek to climb Mt. 
Shasta. It is hardly possible to exaggerate the beauty and grandeur 
of the views from this point, so that those who do not feel equal to 
the task of ascending to the summit, will find themselves amply 
repaid for visiting Strawberry Valley, by the nearer view of the 
mountain itself from that place, as well as the clear water, cool air, 
and magnificent forest vegetation." 

Mt. Lassen. — Mt. Lassen, called also Lassen Butte, an extinct 
volcano, in latitude 40° 30', 10,577 feet high, is near the edge of the 
Sacramento Valley and is one of the most prominent peaks in Califor- 
nia. Its summit, accessible on horseback, commands an extensive 
view over the northern part of the great interior valley and looks 
down on all the higher points in the Coast Range from latitude 41° 
to Mt. Diablo in 37° 50'. Shasta, 70 miles to the northwest, is 
a grand feature in the landscape, but more attractive is the district 
to the northward, northeastward, eastward and southeastward, in 
which directions, 35 extinct volcanic craters can be distinguished. 
This was, apparently, the scene of the most recent volcanic action in 
California ; and there is reason to believe that there was an eruption 
since 1850 at Cinder Cone, 2 miles nortlieast from Mt. Lassen. 
Besides the 35 craters visible from the chief summit, there arc 
scores of others in the vicinity. 

Snag" Lake — One of the most interesting points in the neighbor- 
hood is Snag Lake, situated 12 miles northeast from the mountain, 
at an elevation of 6,000 feet. Directly across the northern end of 
the lake is a lava bed, bearing traces of an upheaval which occurred 
about the Avinter of 1850-'5I. 

According to Dr. W. H. Harkness, the lava bank rises from 
the water to a height of SO or 90 feet, and extends across the whole 
breadth of the lake for a mile or more, with a gradient as regular 
as that of a railroad embankment. At the eastern end, the lava bed 
as it strikes the shore of the lake, turns abruptly to the north and 
extends in a northerly direction for a distance of at least a mile and 
a half, when it strikes another lake, or more probably what was 
once the lower end of Snag Lake. From this point the line turns 
sharply to the west, the lava dike crossing the lower lake to its 
western shore, when it deviates to the southwest. 



184 THE SIERRA. 

In Snag Lake, across which the dike of lava extends, there were, 
in 1874, several dead trees still standing, and on the shore, espe- 
cially on the eastern border, were many trunks and stumps, bat- 
tered and torn by ice, which had been driven upon the beach by 
the wind. These facts indicate, that what is now the bed of the 
lake was but recently a forest, and that the presence of the lava has 
caused the change in the level of the lake. Along the borders of 
the lava bed, were numbers of trees still standing, with lava nearly 
or quite encircling them, their dead and blackened trunks furnish- 
ing evidence that the eruption occurred while they occupied their 
present position. 

West and northwest of the Cinder Cone was a tract of 100 or 
more acres in extent, where the trees had nearly all disappeared. 
There was but one living tree remaining amid the field of ashes, 
and that one had lost all its green branches, while its scarred 
trunk indicated a desperate struggle for life. The dead trees, still 
standing, were burnt on all sides, precisely as a green tree bums, 
a thin stratum of charcoal still adhering to the surface of the re- 
maining wood. 

In tlie forest beyond this tract, the trees were invariably sur- 
rounded by a zone of ashes, and many of them showed scars, the 
new wood formed by the reparative process being apparently of but 
a few years' growth. 

Cinder Cone. — From the border of the lava bed, nearly midway 
on its western face, rises the Cinder Cone, one side of it resting on 
the lava, and the other on the plain. This is usually believed to 
iiave been the central point of the disturbance. Barometrical 
measurement shows the summit of the Cone to be 600 feet above the 
plain at its base — the exact height of the Cone of Vesuvius. The 
outer rim of the Cone is about 600 feet in diameter, and the inner 
crater, which is funnel-shaped, has a depth of nearly 100 feet. 
After descending the crater to a depth of 60 feet, a level bench is 
reached on which one may walk entirely around the inner rim. The 
ashes and pumice discharged from this volcano cover an area of 80 
to 100 square miles. In the neighborhood of the Cone tlie deposit 
is 12 to 20 inches in thickness, and, at a distance of two miles, it is 
5 or 6 inches. Bits of pumice about the size of a bean are plenti- 
fully mixed with the deposit. 

Kecent Volcanic Action.— Judging from the appearance of the 
lava bed, Dr. Harkness is of opinion, that the Cinder Cone threw 
out but a small portion, if any, of the lava, but rather, that it was 
elevated by forces acting directly beneath the site which it now 
occupies. He also states that throughout the entire circumference 
of the lava bed, there is no indication that it was in a molten state 
when thrown out. 

Additional testimony as to the existence of an active volcano in 
] 850-51 is furnished by Dr. Wozencraft, who, when residing near 
Red Bluffs, during that winter, observed a great l>ody of flame to 



THE SIERIL\. 185 

the eastward of Lassen's Butte, which continued for many nights 
without change of position. Dr. J. B. Trask who was, about the 
same time, near Rich Bar, on the North Fork of the Feather Kiver, 
a distance of 40 miles from the Cone, saw the same display for many 
nights in succession. Mr. Charles Gibbs, with a party of miners, 
observed the same phenomenon while at Angel's Camp, a distance 
of 160 miles. Two men prospecting for gold, who arrived at a way- 
side hotel near Georgetown, El Dorado County, in the summer of 
1851, stated that they had discovered a boiling lake and a volcanic 
mountain, which "threw up lire to a terrible heiglit" and that a 
large breadth of country was still on tire, as the result of the eruption. 
They stated, that for a distance of ten miles, they traveled across a 
strip of country, where the rocks were so hot as entirely to destroy 
their boots, and that they lost a horse and a mule in the transit. 

Boiling Lake. — The boiling lake referred to, is beyond doubt, the 
one at present known by the name of Lake 8olfatara, and is situated 
about 8 miles south of the Cinder Cone, and about 6 miles in an 
easterly direction from Lassen's Peak, at an elevation of 5,97(3 feet. 
It is oval in shape, contains an area of a little more than 4 acres, 
and is surrounded by hills about 100 feet in height, broken only at 
one ]X)int by a small fissure which allows the escape of surplus 
water. The water of the lake is hot, and of a creamy color. The 
surface is from time to time disturbed by the escape of gases from 
the earth beneath. Around its border are numerous mud cones, 
from 1 to 4 feet high, and formed of finely pulverized volcanic rock. 
In former years, tliese miniature craters were in a state of ceaseless 
activity, ejecting mud and sulphurous vapor. 

Ljissen Basaltic Columns. — One mile east of the boiling lake is 
a large dike of columnar basalt, resembling those seen in Fingal's 
Cave, on the west coast of Ireland. 

Lassen Ueysers. — About a mile to the south of it, is a geyser 
called Steamboat Spring, ejecting hot water to a height of 3 or 4 
feet, when in a state of activity. In former years the water was 
elevated to a height of 20 or 25 feet, and the spray to a height of at 
least 40 feet. 

Three or four miles west of the lake, at an elevation of 6,000 feet, 
there is a huge geyser canyon with hundreds of springs still in 
action. The whole canyon, comprising a space of 30 acres, is under- 
laid with a stratum of boiling mud. Here may be seen numerous 
cavities or depressions through which boiling water and gas escape 
from below. There are also many smaller basins, through which 
steam jets find their way to the surface. There are, besides, many 
large cauldrons which are now inactive. Perhaps the most curious 
feature of this geyser canyon is that through its centre runs a large 
stream of cool water, in close proximity to numerous hot water 
streams. 

A mile or two to the south-west of the canyon is Bumpus' Hell, 
an opening ia the rock through which issues a stream uf sulphurous 



1S6 THE SIEKEA. 

acid which crystalizes and leaves on the rock a deposit of solid 
sulphur. 

Ascent of Lassen. — ^AU the mountains in the vicinity, even Mt. 
Lasseu itself, can be ascended on horseback, without ditficulty. 
The summit ot" main peak is IS miles from Prattville, which is 40 
from Chico. 

Cottonwood Caye. — Xear the western base of Mt. Lassen and 
20 miles eastward from Cottonwood railroad station, is a large cave, 
oue chamber of which is 300 feet long, CO wide, and 40 high. 

Reddin'JT Cones. — About 15 miles east of Redding there are some 
volcanic cone?, the highest of which has au elevation of '2.633 feet 
above the sea and SCO feet above the adjacent land. Its crater is 
300 yards across and 75 yards deep. Two other cones are within a 
few miles. 

Cedar Petrified Forest. — In the Cellar mountains, near .the 
northeastern corner of California, and 20 miles from Camp Bidwell. 
pieces and trunks of f>etrilied trees are found over a considenible 
area, called the Cedar Petrified Forest, said to be in many respects, 
more interesting thiui the Calistoga Petrtied Forest. 

Sierra Lava" Beds. — Mt. Lassen is at the edge of California's 
lari^est volcanic region, which has au area of about 9,000 square 
miles, of which nearly half may be covered with lava, in the higher 
part of the Sierra Xevada, in the northeastern corner of the State. 
It is triangular in shape, its sharp southern end beiuij at Mt. Stan- 
ford, in latitude 39" 30', near and north of the Centi-al Pacitio 
Railroad. The most notable volcanic peaks in this region are Mt. 
Stanford, Pownieville Peak (called also Pownieville Buttes). Pilot 
Peak (7.005 feet), Mt. Lassen (10,577 feet high), and Mt. Shasta. 
Near Mt. Lassen there are hot and steaming springs. A stream of 
basalt, left as an elevation by the erosion of the softer country rock 
near it, and called Table Mountain, is a prominent feature in the 
landscape near Oroville. 

The Southern Sierra Volcano Region extends from 36° to 3S° 40', 
and most of its lava flow was on the eastern slope, the summit of 
the ridge and nearly all high points being granitic. In Calaveras 
and Tuolumne Counties, however, there are several places where the 
lava flowed westward, covering aiiriferous streams. The most recent 
volcanic action in this region was near Mono Lake, which has a 
multitude of craters in its vicinity. 

Mono Lake. — Mono Lake has been called the Dead Sea of 
California, and is, in some respects, the most remarkable body of 
water on the continent. It is so strong with caustic alkalies, that 
after 5 minutes it causes the skin to shrivel up, and after half an 
hour to crack with acute pains. The lake has no fish, nor are trout 
found in its tributary streams, though they abound in neighboring 
streams that flow toother lakes. Small worms seem to be the only 
living tenants of the lake, and after storms they are found in ridges 
2 or 3 feet high, on the beach, where they taint the air. Xear the 



THE SIERRA. IQ<J 

southern end of the lake there are 3 volcanic cones, which look as if 
they were of very i-ecent origin, their craters being apparently 
altered but little since the last eruption, and the ashes and pumice 
in their vicinity having a fresh look. These cones are about l,r>00 
feet above the general level of the surrounding land. There are 
many older craters within a radius of 20 miles, including 3 on islands 
in tlie lake. The larger island has 2 craters, and a tract of 30 acres 
covered by hot springs, and Ijy openings from which steam and sul- 
phurous gases escape. The smaller island has a crater which seems 
to be more recent than any in California, save one near Mt. Lassen. 

Snow-Shoes. — With snow-shoes, tourists can go into the high 
Sierra in midwinter. Horses are also provided with snowshoes, 
consisting of boards, 13 inches long and 9 wide. With such shoes 
some riders reached Yosemite Valley on the 15th April, 1882, trav- 
eling over snow 12 feet deep, and so soft that men afoot sank to 
their knees in it. The horses with their shoes sank only four 
inches. 

Glaciers. — Most of the Glaciers in California were discovered by 
John Muir, according to whom, the Sierra Nevada between latitudes 
36° 30' and 39° has 65, and of these, two-thirds are between 37' and 
38°. Switzerland has 1,100, with an average area of about a square 
mile to each ; the average is less in California, probably not more 
than half so much. Tlie average elevation of the lower ends of the 
Swiss glaciers is about 7,000 feet above the sea, and of the Californian 
11,000; the lowest on Mt. Shasta having an elevation of 9,500. 
The largest glacier in California is on Mt. Shasta. Mt. Ritter 
13,300 feet high, 21 miles eastward from Sentinel Dome, has 5 gla- 
ciers. The Kern, Kings, Owens, Tuolumne, and Walker Rivers, 
and Rush Creek (the last a tributary of Mono Lake), all have their 
heads in glaciers. Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in California has 
no glacier. All the Californian glaciers are in gorges on the northern 
slopes of mountains, and are thus protected against the sun. Their 
speed varies from a mile to 5 miles iu 500 years. The signs of 
glacial action at levels much lower than any of the glaciers now 
existing in California are abundant, and many of them very interest- 
ing in the Sierra Nevada. The State Mineralogical Museum in San 
Francisco, has a beautiful sample of granite polished by a glacier. 
Donner Lake was formed by a moraine deposited across the valley 
by a glacier. 

Other Lakes. — Besides the lakes already mentioned, the Sierra 
Nevada has hundreds of others, most of them with less than a 
square mile of area, and many very attractive to the tourist, fisher- 
man and artist. Generally they are at elevations of 4,003 feet or 
more above the sea, and owe their existence to glaciers, which have 
either scooped hollows in the rocks or deposited moraines across the 
valleys. From Tahoe northward to the Oregon line, the mountain 
lakes are most abundant. Some of them such as Goose Lake, Honey 
Lake and Eagle Lake are saline, having either no outlet or none at 



188 THE SIERRA. 

their ordinary levels. Generally, however, their waters are pure 
and remarkably clear, abounding with fish, and surrounded by 
beautiful shores. Webber Lake, north of the Central Pacific Rail- 
road, is a favorite resort for pleasure seekers; and Gold, Truckee, In- 
dependence, Eureka, Meadow, Medley, Glacier, Echo, Twin, Silver 
and Blue Lakes, though far inferior to Tahoe in size, variety of 
attraction, and convenience of access, are all worthy of the atten- 
tion of tourists. 



CHAPTER VI. 



OREQON, WASHINGTON, ETC. 



Scope of Chapter.— In preceding chapters, some account has 
been given of the leading points of interest to tourists and Califor- 
nia, Nevada and Utah ; and this chapter is to treat of similar points 
in Oregon and other portions of our slope, including Washington, 
Oregon, British Columbia, Alaska and Mexico. 

Columbia River.— No navigable river on our continent, and 
probably, none anywhere, presents to the traveler who views its 
banks from a boat, a finer combination of grandeur, with beauty in 
its scenery, than the Columbia. The Hudson, Mississippi, St. 
Lawrence and Ohio, are each inferior to it in many important 
respects. The palisades of the Hudson and the hills of the Ohio 
sink into insignificance when compared with the cliffs and moun- 
tains of the great river of Oregon. Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. 
St. Helens, and Mt.. Rainier, all visible from the Columbia, are 
majestic features in the landscape. The average width of the 
stream below the Cascades is about a mile, and the lands on both 
sides rise to an elevation sufficient to give extensive views, and 
these change rapidly when passing up or down the river on the 
swift and comfortable steamers of the Oregon Railway and Naviga- 
tion Company. At the Dalles the stream is compressed into a very 
narrow channel, and there, as well as the Cascades, makes a consid- 
erable descent over rapids, the banks as well as the waters, take 
new and wild forms. 

Cascade Eang-e. — The chain of mountains called the Sierra 
Nevada in California, is known as the Cascade Range in Oregon, 
Washington, British Columbia and Alaska ; and while tlie general 
level is lower north of latitude 40° than in the Californian Alps, tlie 
grand and solitary peaks are more numerous. The most noted peaks 
of Oregon are Mt. Hood, 30 miles south of the Columbia River, and 
Mt. Jefi"erson, 40 miles south of Hood, both on the summit of 
the chain, and both rising to a height of about 12,000^ feet, and 
nearly a mile above the level of the adjacent mountain ridges. 
They are covered with snow through tlie greater part of the year, 
and are visible from large areas in the Willamette Valley, in the 
scenery of which they are prominent and attractive features. Erro- 
neous reports that Hood is 17,500 feet, and Jefiferson 15,000 feet 



190 OREGON, "WASHINGTON, ETC. 

high, have been published. Both have glaciers on their northern 
slopes, and both are dormant volcanoes. It is said that steam rises 
occasionally in large quantities from Mt. Hood, as if the water 
from the melting snows ran down to the region of internal heat, 
A cluster of peaks, about 11,000 feet high, known as the Three 
Sisters, is 35 miles south of Mt. Jefferson, and 120 miles further 
south is Mt. Pitt, which has an elevation of 11,000 feet. 

Hood River. — On the bank of Hood Eiver, about 30 miles from 
Portland, in a region rich in romantic scenery, is the Hood Kiver 
House, which has accommodation for 50 guests. Situated only 10 
miles from the summit of Mt. Hood, with that peak and Mt. Adams 
in full view, it is a favorite resort. 

Tillamook Bay.— Tillamook Bay, 70 miles west from Portland, 
and 45 miles south of Astoria, is considered the most attractive 
place in Oregon, for sportsmen generally, combining as it does a 
variety of attractions. When made accessible from the Willamette 
Valley, by rail, it will probably become the leading pleasure resort 
of the State. It has fine sand beaches and a surf well suited for 
bathing, tliough the water is never warm. Clams, crabs, oysters, 
and marine fish of many kinds are found in its salt waters ; trout 
abound in its tributary streams; and deer, grouse, and wild geese 
and ducks, are numerous in the vicinity. The ])ay is large enough 
to give opportunities for pleasant sailing; palatable wild berries 
cover the adjacent hills in summer; and the scenery is romantic. 

Clatsop Beach. — Every summer, many Portlanders go to the 
Clatsop Beach, on the Pacific, south of the mouth of the Columbia, 
where the Seaside House has excellent accommodations for 150 
guests at a time. The place had 800 visitors in 1881. Elk, deer, 
bear and duck are abundant in the vicinity. 

Willioit Springs.— The most noted health resort of Oregon is the 
Wilhoit Springs, 37 miles south from Portland. A hotel offers its 
accommodations to visitors, and many campers go to the place every 
season. 

3Iystic Lake. — Mystic Lake about 7000 feet above the sea, near 
the summit of the Cascade Range, and 20 miles north from Fort 
Klamath, is a remarkable sheet of water. It is 12 miles long and 
7 wide, enclosed walls which rise 2000 feet, almost vertically, from 
the water's edge. There is no outlet nor is there any tributary 
stream worthy of mention. The lake evidently occupies the crater 
of a great volcano, in which rose a small crater, which now forms an 
island. Fort Klamath, on the northern shore of Klamath Lake, is 
225 miles by the stage road northeastward from Bedding. 

Washing'toil. — The most striking features in the scenery of 
Washington are the great snow peaks of Mt. Baker, 10,720 feet 
high; Mt. Rainier, 14,444 feet; Mt. St. Helens, 10,000 feet; and 
Mt. Adams, 13,250 feet, all dormant volcanoes, which are scattered 
along the line of the Cascade Range, Adams, St. Helens and 
Rainier are visible from the Columbia River, and also from the coun- 



lilEOON, NVASIllNCJTON, ETC. 



191 



3L>^<i^ ^V;. 




OREGON, WASHINGTON, ETC. 



fZ "ff *^\««^*l^erii portion of Puget Sound; and Mt Baker 

lavainits crater; and Sr HeleL It^^'irn^/emitrst'eL' ^t^h 
forms in a cloud around or above the summit. All these mountains 
have glaciers, those on Rainier being the largest. RaTnier Ske St 
Helens occasionally sends up large masses of stean The best 
view of the mountain obtainable on the shore at PuSundt found 
at Steilacoom. The Atlantic Monthly and the Ova'Zid VoMhh, 
have published accounts of the ascent of Mt. RainLr St HeS 
IS seen directly in front of vessels entering the Columbia Pher and 
as seen from the lower part of that stream, or froni the sea is Sk' 
most imposmg snow peak on the coast south of Alaska ' 

HpW ^ ?i '^^"°^' ^' ^^''^'*^' ^^^°^^^' A^^'-^n^^ or Hood, Mt St 
Helens is at least, m symmetry, the most beautiful of all It has 
apparently been formed from a single crater, round whkd its iVvas 
have built up an exact cone, which: as seen from the mouth of he 
Columbia river, above the level of the intervening hills has a base 
about two miles across, and a height of a mile and a alf aU in the 
spring and early summer, covered with a complete man e of snow 
No bare slopes of rock, no dark forest, no doubk summit, subordkiaTe 
whit'cone"" '"'' ^"'^ "'""'^^^^ ^'"'^ '''' complet'enLs of thi^ 

me^Hfnl^/!""^'~^^'^''*^'!r^"'"^"^'"^^ ^^-^"^ *^^« standpoint of the 
merchant, the mariner or the artist, Puget Sound is a wonderful 

fnl^n 1 im"^-^'- ''!f' ^^ ^^P^r^lleled arm of the sea. ExSn ' 
inland 100 miles with an average width of 2 miles, a depth sufficient 
for the largest ships cove^, branches and islands so eLnsh^that 
the shore line exceeds 800 miles in aggregate length bold bank! 
clothed with magnificent forests, and |miKl volcS TDeaki f.^n ' 

T^e^maroV?h?i^^^^^^^^ ^' ^'""^^^^ ^''' grand tT^^il'dtcen:"? 
inch. ^ on the precedmg page is on a scale of about 33 miles to an 

feS^lfi^rl^nn^ Fall.-The fall of the Snoquabnie River, a]>out 200 
feet high, 200 miles northeast from Seattle, is one of the natural 

Jretcliriftlr rifa's'^b '"' "^ i' ^-^*i-«' becomeaLvtitTp^: 
roads "^""'^^ conveniently accessible by good 

Seattle Resorts.-Lake Washington, 4 miles from Seattle ^o 
miles long 4 miles wide on the averSge, with a shore bneToOmiks 
tesounrinl' '''f f fresh waU 15 feet above tlielev": 

Olyiiipia Resorts.-Summit Lake, 17 miles west from Olvmnia 
abounds with fish Mdiich can be taken readily with the hoof The 
Deschutes River is an excellent stream for trout fishim/ The Nis- 
qually River, 8 miles east of Olympia, is a place wher^e the ducks 
and duck-hunters meet. Chamberi' Prairie 15 miles south frt 



OREGON, WASHINGTON, ETC. 11)3 

Olympia, is noted for its fine views of Mts. Rainier, St. Helens and 
Adams. 

Gray's Harbor. — The prospectus of a company which proposed 
to build a railroad to Gray's Harbor, without exaggerating the 
attractions of that sheet of water, thus spoke of them : " The bay 
is one of the most beautiful of waters, as well as one of the most 
prolific sources on the Pacific Coast for oysters, crabs, clams, fish of 
great variety and abundance, and wild water fowl. That Gray's 
Harbor and Shoalwater Bay, contiguous thereto, will be great sea- 
side summer resorts is manifest, for no other points whatever on the 
coast have a tithe of their advantages. A hard, narrow peninsula, 
of level, sandy beach, afibrds a drive in a straight line for twenty 
uninterrupted miles. Eligible locations, well shaded, for cottages 
and villas are almost numberless; fishing and gunning on the waters 
and hunting in the adjacent forests afibrds all the enjoyment — 
seldom ofl'ered — for satisfactory summer sojourners. The summers 
are cool and the entire region free from malaria and unhealthful 
influences." 

Ilwaco. — The town of Ilwaco, on the shore of Baker's Bay, 15 
miles from Astoria, is a favorite resort for people from Portland. A 
comfortable hotel ofiers accommodations to 70 guests at a time. 
There is a beautiful beach, suitable for those who wish to walk, 
ride or drive. Game is abundant on the land, and fish, clams, crabs 
and oysters in the near waters. 

Oysterville. — Oysterville, on the shore of Shoalwater Bay, 35 
miles from Astoria (15 by steamboat and 20 by stage), is another 
pleasure resort, patronized by visitors from Oregon aa well as from 
Waahington. 

British Columbia. — British Columbia has no solitary snow 
peaks approaching Rainier, St. Helen's or Adams, for prominence in 
the landscape, but the scenery is very mountainous, and in many 
places inland and along the shores, very attractive. Portions of 
Vancouver Island have a park-like vegetation. Mt. Brown, in lat- 
itude 54° 45', 1G,000 feet high ; Mt. Murcheson, in 51° 51', 15,800 
feet, and Mt. Hookex*, 15,700 feet, are in the Rocky Mountains, 
and are not visible from any populous valley or navigable water. 

Alaska. — Soon after passing the southern boundary of Alaska, in 
going to the northward, the traveler observes a change in the land- 
scape, as seen from the cliannels in the archipelago along the coast. 
The timber on the islands becomes more abundant, the outlines of 
the islands are more varied, and the mountains, visible from the 
boat, show higher peaks. The loftiest mountains of the United 
States are in Alaska. Mt. St. Elias, according to "\ arious trust- 
worthy observers, is at least 17,000 feet high, and according to 
several, 19,000 ; Mt. Cook is credited with 16,000, Mt. Crillon witli 
15,900, and Mt. Fairweathcr with 15,500 by Dall. All arc near 
the coast, and visible far out at sea. The glaciers of Alaska are 
numerous and large, and north of latitude 58° come down very 
7 



194 OREGON, WASHJU^GTON, ETC. 

near to the level of the sea. Those on Mt. St. Elias, Mt. Cook, Mt. 
Crillon and Mt. Fairweather have never been carefully examined, 
but must be extensive and grand. 

Arizona. — The Southern Pacific Railroad passes tlirough much 
of the most unattractive laud in Arizona, and the traveller should 
not estimate the value of the whole territory by the country visible 
from the cars on that line. The region intersected by the Atlantic 
and Pacific railroad about latitude 35° is far more interesting. 

Kllins. — Arizona abounds with the remains of buildings and irri- 
gation ditches constructed by the red men centuries since, probably 
before the time of Columbus. These ruins have not been carefully 
studied and the information about them is fragmentary. Twelve 
miles from Florence is the Casa Grande, (big house) 65 feet Jong, 45 
wide, and 40 high, with 4^ stories. The material is a concrete of 
gravel with mud or mortar to give cohesion. The floors, roof and 
doors have entirely disappeared, and there is nothing to indicate 
what their material was. This building has higher walls than any 
other prehistoric structure in Arizona, 

Six miles east of Phoenix, are the ruins of a large town. One 
building, that was about 275 feet long and 1.30 wide, now makes a 
mound 30 feet high. Other ruins are found 18 miles east, 40 miles 
east, 8 miles south, 20 miles south, and 20 miles north from Prescott. 

The best of the buildings erected in Arizona by the Spaniards, is 
the mission at San Xavier del Bac, commenced in 1768 and finished 
in 1798, The engraving on the next page shows the building in its 
present condition. 

The Zuni Indians in northeastern Arizona and in western New 
Mexico, inhabit peculiar villages, usually built on clifis, with houses 
which have no doors in the lower stories, but are entered by means 
of ladders, Laguna, to be mentioned soon, is a good sample of one 
of these towns. 

Atlantic and Paciflc Railroad. — As the Atlantic and Pacific 
Railroad is not open for through travel, it was mentioned very briefly 
in the first chapter, and we recur to it here. The road, when com- 
pleted, will extend from St, Louis to San Francisco, The work of re- 
cent construction has been carried on westward from Albuquerque, 
New INIexico, at which points the company connects with the New 
Mexico and Southern Pacific branch of the Atchinson and Topeka 
Railroad, and so reaches all points east. Eastward from Albuquer- 
que no trains are yet running, but surveys are completed, and the 
work is being pushed forward, Albuquerque, 5,010 feet above the 
sea, with a population of about 2,300, is situated on the upper waters 
of the Rio Grande, east of the summit of the Rocky Mountains. 

Laguna, 66 miles from Albuquerque, is named from the Pueblo of 
Laguna, one of the oldest in New Mexico, situated on a high lime- 
stone blufl", on the banks of a small stream, called the Rio San Jose. 
The houses are built of the stone from the blufi", covered with mud 
plaster, and, as is common in these old villages, are at once dwell- 



OKEGON, NVASUINCTON, ETC. 



195 



iiii!;i(i.,;L'iliIi;iiiiiiiii'n>'M';'IM!r"U 1 :;ii:il'i:i V I'S 




^iiiiiH'ii'P'^^ <^ 



^^^ OREGON, WASHINGTON, ETC. 



rootssTfeeVZt I'f " '"''«';l"'""f P-'^Wo which stands on a 

abot tL f '"'''°™''''' >30 miles from Albuquerqne 7 295 feet 
ttaJif o/calJonr^ '° ''^^«""'' '""^ *«--' which' flowto 

16 fetrtri:^'/ ""'™'^ ""^ ^* '^^^* 1^ »"-. -' - -erage of 

sconds to the Colorado PaveT with ^ averLe of <iA f ^''f' »"' 
mdo, the elevation at the river' be ng 485 flet fbove thi sea The^' 
wm°^s"''"^°''^^'=*^°f'"*--'-*^eregion\trughw^^^^^^ 



CHAPTER VII. 

CAMPING. 



Outdoor Life. — Camping is, and will, probably, long continue to 
be, a common amusement iu California — more common here than in 
any other civilized land. A multitude of circumstances, not found 
elsewhere in combination, concur to make it attractive. Among 
these, are the lack or great rarity of rain, dew or severe cold, the 
dryness of the soil and clearness of the sky in the camping season, 
from May to October inch;sive; the number of umbrageous and 
romantic sites in many parts of the State, even near the cities, 
convenient for campers and open to them without charge; the 
multitude of interesting places accessible to none, save campers; 
the quantity and variety of game, and the opportunities to change 
climate by moving short distances; and the facility of getting camping 
supplies and experienced camper companions, and of mingling bus- 
iness with pleasure while camping. A large proportion of Calif or - 
nians have spent weeks without sleeping in a house while prospecting, 
exploring, mining, hunting, lumbering, emigrating, taking their 
cows, sheep or bees to new pastures, or seeking health, or pleasure 
at the sea-side, at medicinal springs, in the mountains or canyons. 
Probably the average number of those who go into camp every 
spring or summer in California is 10,000 ; perhaps, twice as many. 
Napa, Lake, Marin, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Angeles 
counties have each at least 1,000 campers for health or pleasure 
annually. 

Among the places in special favor with campers — it is not to be 
supposed that any complete list can be made of them — are the Yo- 
semite Valley and the State Big Tree Grove in Mariposa County; 
Bartlett Springs, the shores of Clear Lake and Cobb Valley in Lake; 
Pope Valley and Howell Mountain in Napa ; the banks of Paper 
Mill Creek, the Willows east of Bolinas Bay, Bear Valley, and the 
grove near Olema in Marin; the banks of Russian Kiver and the 
vicinity of Fort Ross in Sonoma ; the valley of Russian River in 
Mendocino ; the valley of Eel River in Humboldt; the beach and 
the mountains in Santa Cruz ; the cypress grove in Monterey; the 
beach and canyon of Santa Monica, the San Juan Capistrano Spring, 
and Santa Catalina Island in Los Angeles. The basin of San Gre- 



198 CAMPING. 

gorio Creek, in San Mateo County, abounds with mimemns good 
camping sites, varying iii their attractions and offering facilities for 
frequent and convenient changes. It is a favorite resort for campers 
from San Francisco, who usually leave the railroad at Redwood 
City. The vicinity of Pescadero may be said to belong to the San 
Gregorio camping district. The most noted elevated camping 
grounds in the Coast Range are the vicinity of Skyland, in the 
Santa Cruz Mountains, Cobb Valley, Howell Mountain, (all those 
are about 2,000 feet above the sea), and Clear Lake Valley, about 
1,500 feet up. The best hunting grounds are in the Eel River 
Valley and the upper part of the Russian Valley ; the best fishing 
streams in the redwoods, and in the northeastern part of Shasta. 

Camping Tours. — It is a common custom for campers to move 
at short intervals, staying in one place not more than 2 or 3 
days, and then not traveling more than a day's journey to new 
scenery, new hunting and fishing grounds, and perhaps, to a 
place where they will make new acquaintances, for it not un- 
frequently happens that they will find a dozen tents in a desirable 
camping place of which they never heard before and miles from any 
house. In this way they can become familiar with a considerable 
scope of country in a month or two, and find something new at every 
stopping place. Some parties and families that go camping every 
summer, take a ditferent direction every year, so as to see the Sierra, 
the redwood, and the beach in all their most attractive phases. 

Time for Camping.— The time for camping depends on the 
place, and the amount of rain in the preceding winter. The best is 
that immediately after the ground has become dry and the weather 
warm enough, and before the heat and dust of the midsummer have 
arrived. When the rains have been abundant through the winter 
and have continued until April, the muddy roads and moist ground 
warn pleasure seekers to stay at home till May, On the other hand, 
if the rains of February and March have been light, the first week 
of April may be a good time to start, especially for the region south 
of Santa Barbara. In the Sierra Nevada, at an elevation of 4000 
feet or more, snow storms, freezing nights and soaked soil, are not 
uncommon in the early part of June. At a distance of 10 miles 
from the ocean, or further inland, the best time is from May to 
July ; but near the beach, from Monterey northward, the canyons 
remain green through the year and camping may be pleasant till the 
end of October. 

Saddles. — The best of all saddles for men, and for all who ride 
astride, is the Californian. The cinch or girth liolds better, and can 
be drawn tighter with less effort, the stirrup is easier and the seat 
more comfortable than in the English saddle. The last is so flat 
that it has no fit, and does not require so much attention to its size 
as does a Californian saddle, which, with its high pommel or cantle, 
may be too small for a large rider. It would be well for inexperi- 
enced riders that the saddle blanket should be tied to the front of 



CAMPING. 199 

tbe saddle so that it cannot be lost; and, if steep mountains are to 
be climbed, there should be a crupper to prevent the saddle from 
slipping forward, and a breast-strap to keep the cinch from slipping 
back. The breast-strap can be connected with a neck-band like that 
used in a martingale. So long as the cinch does not slip back, the 
saddle cannot go back ; and when the cinch gets past the ribs, it 
tickles the animal intolerably, so that unless remarkably tame, he 
will turn his head down hill, buck, and throw off his rider, for the 
saddle gets loose and swings round under his bell}-. The breast- 
strap is a protection against that danger. Livery stable-men do 
not adopt the fixed blanket, the crupper, and the breast-strap, for 
the reasons that they generally prefer to let horses with buggies ; 
and in the mountains, where they let riding hoi'ses, they want the 
riders to feel dependent on the guides for the management of the 
saddles. 

If a saddle is to be used sometimes for riding and for packing 
occasionally, then the Califomian, or the McClellan army saddle may 
be selected, the latter being better if there is much packing. The 
Califomian saddle, by attaching rings to it may be easily converted 
into a pack-saddle. 

Persons not accustomed to the saddle, may ride almost continu- 
ously for a week without being chafed by getting a cushion two 
inches thick, packed with the best horsehair and filled in two equal 
halves on a Califomian saddle. A lady who had never been astride 
on a horse, and had not ridden for years, rode 27 miles the first day 
without chafing on such a cushion, to reach the Yosemite Valley, 
and took long rides every day during her stay there, though the other 
ladies in the same party, riding in the same way, were extremely 
sore after riding 18 miles without a cushion, and could not make 
their appearance the next day, nor ride with comfort while in the 
valley. 

When four or five ladies are together in a camping party, well 
supplied with horses, there is a great saving in baggage, as well as 
in other respects, if they ride astride. The side saddle has many 
objectionable features, without anything to recommend it save its 
conventional authority. It is hard on the horse, and tiresome and 
dangerous to the rider. Xo women make a more graceful appearance 
on horseljack than the Hawaiians, all of whom ride astride. Miss 
Isa])ella Bird, the noted traveler and authoress, after becoming 
accustomed to a man's saddle would not have any other ; and Cali- 
fomian ladies who have had a similar experience, entertain a similar 
feeling in reference to their comfort on horseback, though many of 
them will not rido astride where "society" can observe and criticise 
them. Ladies riding astride, should have 3 cotton batting pads, 
each about 8 inches long, 5 wide, and 2 or 3 inches thick, with 
strings. One pad to protect the calf of each leg, and one to be 
fastened on the pommel of the saddle. 



200 CAMPING. 

Tents. — The simplest tent and the one best adapted for the use 
of small parties, is that known as the ''A" pattern, called also the 
"gable-end," or "dog-kennel" tent. It is supported by two up- 
right poles, six feet in height, with a ridge pole to connect their 
tops. Poles to serve as supports can be cut in the woods, but it is 
more convenient to take them along, and to have them bound at 
each end with an iron ferrule, and fitted with iron pegs, half an inch 
in diameter, projecting from each end of the upright with holes to 
correspond in the ferrules on the ridge-pole. The tent should be 
strengthened at the seams and edges with rope, and when carefully 
staked, possesses great strength, which, however, is seldom needed, 
when in use for pleasure parties, as, a short distance from the coast, 
high winds are ahnost as rare as rains, from May to October. A 
tent 7 feet long and 8 feet wide on the ground will accommodate 3 
persons. As a general rule it is more convenient to have several 
small tents than one large one. 

Prospectors and miners and bachelor parties, when camping only 
for a few days, seldom put themselves to the trouble of carrying a 
tent. 

The proprietors of the camping grounds at Taylorville, at Cypress 
Point, and at Sequel, have tents to let for the accommodation of 
campers, and board can be obtained in the vicinity by those who 
wish to avoid the trouble of cooking. Elsewhere, parties must pro- 
vide their own tents, and carry with them cooking utensils and a 
stock of provisions. 

Personal Outfit. — Of primary use during even a short stay from 
home, are a chanage of outer and underclothing, handkerchiefs, 
towels, soap, cup, tooth-brush, clothes-brush, whisk-broom, slippers, 
paper, irk, pens, pencils, envelopes, postal cards, postage stamps, 
pins, needles, thread, thimble, tape, scissors, buttons, watch key, 
large sheath knife, matches and money. The personal outfit should 
also include rubber shoes, an overcoat or cloak with cloak strap, 
and for ladies, an umbrella for protection against the sun. A bottle 
of ammonia, as a cure for the stings and bites of insects, and a box 
of carbolic salve for bruises may also be of service. 

For lights, candles are preferable to coal oil and oil lamps, on 
account of their smaller bulk and for other obvious reasons. If the 
camp is to be without facilities for laundry-work, the clothing 
should be selected with reference to that fact. Fine white cotton 
or linen, which cannot be worn satisfactorily without frequent 
washing and ironing, should make way for coarse, dark-colored 
cotton, or a mixture of cotton and wool, which are Ijetter adapted 
for rough wear, easier to wash, and not apt to show a little dirt. 

Provisions. — The stock of provisions may be selected from such 
articles as dried and canned meats, fruit and fish, bacon, beans, 
vegetables, eggs, butter, cheese, salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar, tea 
and coffee. Bowen's condensed coffee in cans is convenient and 
passably good. The canned goods should be tested, before starting, 



CAMPING. 201 

to make certain that they are of proper quality. Baking powder or 
leaven slioukl be taken if bread is to be made. Butter shouhl be 
kept in strong brine. If lunch is to be eaten on the road, before 
reaching the camping ground, a separate package should be prepared. 

Cooking' Utensils. — The cooking utensils best suited for camping 
parties are the coflfee-pot, stew-pan, frying-pan, gridiron, soup-pot, 
Dutch-oven and cooking-stove. The pots and pans that are to 
be exposed to the action of lire, should be provided with sacks or 
coverings, to keep them from contact with other articles. The 
Dutch-oven, a skillet of cast-iron, about a foot in -width and 4 inches 
deep, with a cover to hold burning coals, is useful for baking meat, 
bread or beans. If a sheet-iron stove is to be purchased, it may be 
well to order one after the pattern recommended by John M. Gould. 

Tableware, — The quantity and description of tableware needed, 
depends on circumstances ; but thought should be given to plates, 
cups, knives, forks, spoons, napkins and tablecloths. If crockery 
or glassware be included, they should be taken in sufficient quantity 
to make a liberal allowance for breakage. 

Beddin:?. — For bedding purposes, it is usual to carry blankets 
and sometimes sheets and pillows, or pillowcases. Comforters, 
made of cotton batting, quilted in chintz, are better than blankets 
because they are smoother and less liable to absorb dust and dirt, 
or harbor fleas. If, however, there be any apprehension of wet 
weather, comforters will not answer for camping. For a mattress, 
it is usually sufficient to take along an empty sack and fill it with 
hay, straw or dry grass, at or near the camping ground. A pillow- 
case may be filled in the same way. It is often desirable to place a 
rubber or oilcloth under the mattress, to keep out moisture, and if 
no mattress can be obtained, and the bed must be made on the 
ground, this precaution becomes necessary. 

Tools. — The tools most useful for a camping expedition, are an axe, 
hatchet, saw, spade, auger, gimlet, nails, screw-driver and screws. 
A sail-needle, twine and rope may also be needed. Fishing lines, 
hooks, sinkers, floats, flies, guns, pistols, and cartridges will usually 
form part of the outfit. As a general rule, it is best to take only 
such articles as have been found serviceable by others, and to avoid 
new inventions, such as bedsteads convertible into camp-stools, etc. 
Simplicity of pattern and the approval given by experience, are more 
to be considered, than the advice of inventors and of drummers in- 
terested in selling their patents. 

Books on Camping". — Those who e^fpect to travel long distances, 
and to transport heavy loads, on pack-animals, may obtain some 
valuable hints from the books of Lord, Galton, Marcy and Gould. 
John K. Lord was in charge of the packing department of tlie 
British Boundary Commission, when the line between the United 
States and Canada was run eastward from the Pacific, and he gives 
advice about packing, based on that experience, in a book pub- 
lished in Loudon, by J. R. Hardwicke, entitled, At Home in the 



202 CA]\iPi>rG. 

Wilderness. Francis Galton has traveled much in the wilder parts 
of South Africa. His Art of Travd, the sixth edition of which was 
published in London, by John Murray, in 1876, contains many 
passages that are of interest to persons about to undertake 
long expeditions, though most of it is, of course, not adapted to 
camping parties in California. Many hints about fitting out emi- 
grant, hunting and military expeditions, guarding against Indian 
attacks, packing and hunting, are given in The Prairie Traveler, by 
11. B. Marcy, U. S. A., published by Harper & Brothers in 1859, 
l:low to Camp Out, by John M. Gould, published by Scribner, Arm- 
strong & Co., though designed for campers on the Atlantic Slope, 
contains much that may be of service to camping parties in California. 

The Camping Party. — The experience, tastes, habits and pur- 
poses of campers differ so much, that it is impossible to give a brief 
summary of advice that would be suitable to every case. Neverthe- 
less the following are good general rules. 

First. — See that the company includes persons competent to do 
the work that may have to be done. If you go with a wagon, 
there should be a man who knows how to attend a horse, mend 
harness, and take care of a wagon. If you go with pack animals 
there should be an experienced packer. 

Second. — It is well to imderstand, before hand, how the work is 
to be distributed, so that there will be no room for controversy, or 
excuse for shirking, and no unfair burden on the generous. If there 
are ladies in the party, it may be better to have a hired cook. 

Third. — It is ^\eU. to see that no morose or quarrelsome person be 
admitted into the party ; for one such will destroy the pleasure of 
all others. 

Fourth. — Prefer the companionship of old friends, or of those who 
have strong motives for keeping up kindly relations with you. 

Fifth. — Be careful, before starting, to see that the supplies are 
sufficient in quantity and good in quality. 

Santa Criiz Camping roiir,— Of the many camping grounds 
within easy reach of San Francisco, those in the Santa Cruz Mount- 
ains deserve sj)ecial mention. They are so numerous that parties 
often spend several weeks there, changing their camp every few 
days from one location to another. Many of the most attractive 
spots are but a short distance off the public road and quite easy of 
access. Approaching the mountains by way of San Mateo, Half 
Moon Bay and Pescadero, one meets with very fine scenery, and 
every few miles a stream of clear, sweet water is encountered. After 
leaving the village of San Mateo, the road skirts the San Mateo 
Creek for some distance, and then curves among the hills until it 
reaches an altitude of 2000 feet above the bay. Thence it descends 
through a narrow pass towards the Pacific, striking the coast at 
Half Moon Bay. From that point the road turns southward to the 
village of Pescadero, near which there are excellent camping and 
fishing grounds. At the foot of a bluff, two miles from Pescadero, 



CAMPING. 



203 



is a beach composed of pebbles worn smooth by the action of the 

I'^l'u , f''''^ * 1^"' f'^ H'''''^ ^S^^^^^ carnelians and jasper, too 
small to be of value, but often beautiful specimens. On the neidi- 
bormg sands, may be found abalone shells and some beautiful vaiie- 
.Innl-'iV ^1'i^T 1^^''^.?™'.? tlie vicinity of Pescadero are well 
stocked with Ijsh when the tides come up from the seu, and the surf 
alwig the shore affcrds excellent sport with hook and line. 

From Pescadero to Santa Cruz is an easy day's journey, and on 
the road one passes some excellent camping grounds. A drive of a 
few miles from Pescadero, brings the traveler into the very heart of 
the rechyood forests, that cover the western slopes of the Santa Cruz 
Mountains Some of the trees exceed 15 feet in diameter, and are 
nearly 300 feet in height, the distance from the ground to the near- 
est branch being often 150 feet. In places they are thickly grouped 
and their dense foha^re forms a canopy that shuts out all sfmlight. 
and excludes all sound except that of the surf. The wagon road 
leads along the coast hills, or across the beach, passing some- 
times over narrow terraces between the mountains and the Pacific, 
which mark the gradual retrogression of the ocean during past acres 
of scener'^^"" ^^'^^^^'''*'''"''^'^"^' ""''"^ ^^^""'^^ ^°"'^ rare glimpses 
The journey back to San Francisco can be made by way of the 
Santa Clara \ alley. The mountains in that direction i4e to a 
height of 3000 feet. On portions of the road the forests completely 
shut out the scenery. Some very deep gorges come in view, and 
there are several well watered undulating valleys suitable for camp- 
ing. On reaching the summit of the range, the Santa Clara Vallev 
comes in sight, and the party may return by way of San Jose. 

Mann Coimty Camping 1 onr.-Another pleasant camping ex- 
cursion, which need not occupy more than a week, nor take the 
excursionist far from San Francisco, can be made in Marin County 
The road from Saucelito to Bolinas works up by easy grades to the 
summit of a high ridge, and then crosses a deep ravine close to the 
ocean. From that point it leads, for several miles, along the sides 
ot very steep hills whose base is washed by the sea. In clear 
weather, the Fa.allones, the Cliff House, and the various licht- 
houses are p ainly in view. The off wheel of the carriage will some- 
times be within a foot or two of the edge of the road, but with 
stead}', sure-footed horses there is not tlie least danger. This por- 
tion of the route is almost level, and vehicles, approaching from the 
opposite direction, can be seen at a distance. At intervals there 
are spaces wide enough for carriages to pass. The distance to 
Bolinas is less than 20 miles, and for the last few miles the path 
skirts the mai-gin of Bolinas Bay, leading to a village of the same 
name, from which was shipped, in early days, the greater portion of 
the lumber supply of San Francisco. Olema, about ten miles dis- 
tant from Bolinas, is reached by a road almost perfectly level, and 
about a mile from Olema is an excellent camping ground. A mile 



204 CAMPING. 

or two further on is a range of hills nearly 2000 feet high, the ascent 
of which is steep in places ; it may, therefore, be as well to leave 
some of the heavier baggage at the village of Olema. Descending 
their western slope, you come to Bear Valley, another excellent 
camping ground, with a mountain stream of clear, cold water, near 
wluch hare and rabbit are plentiful. From Bear Valley the road 
leads over a second range of hills, but only a few hundred feet high, 
and of easy grade. A short distance from their summit you come 
to the peninsula of Point Reyes, a narrow plateau, from most points 
of which the ocean is in view on both sides. Here are some of the 
best dairy ranches in California ; the moisture from the fogs causing 
the grass to grow until late in the summer. On the southern slope 
of the plateau is Drake's Bay, named after the famous navigator, 
who is said to have visited it in 1577. Here is a beautiful camping 
ground, good fishing, and abundance of timber. Water sometimes 
fails but a supply can be obtained at any of the ranch-houses near 
by. The vicinity of Drake's Bay is a favorite resort for Italian 
fishermen, who supply the San Francisco market. The light-house 
and fog-whistle at the extreme point of the peninsula are well 
worth a visit. The keeper's residence is high above the sea and 
commands one of the finest sea views on the coast of California. 
Flights of wooden steps lead down to the light-house, which is on a 
ledge of rock several hundred feet below. The distance from Olema 
to Point Reyes is about 15 miles. 

From Olema the party may return by the road leading to Ross 
Landing, over White's Hill, at the foot of which is a fine grove of 
redwoods. At the junction station, a mile and a half from Fair- 
fax, on the line of the North Pacific Coast Railway, the road 
to Ross Landing turns off at right angles. Less than half a 
mile from this point it skirts the foot of a hill thickly covered 
with redwoods ; and here is a road leading off to the right towards 
Lagunitas Reservoir, near which is a favorite camping ground. 
From Olema to Ross Valley is about twenty miles, and from the 
valley to the camping ground about 5 miles. The last 2 or 3 miles 
have several steep grades, and time should be allowed to reach the 
halting place before dark. Lagunitas (Little Lakes) Reservoir is 
at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais, and the camping ground is reached on 
the banks of a small stream, about a mile before coming to the 
reservoir. In the vicinity is some beautiful park-like scenery, 
plenty of timber, and an abundant supply of water. 

Hunting. — The best hunting ground of California is in the Coast 
Mountains and valleys from Mendocino to Del Norte County inclu- 
sive; in Oregon, its southwestern quarter; in Washington, a strip 
about 30 miles wide in the foot-hills, along the western slope of the 
Cascades ; in British Columbia, the southwestern corner of the main- 
land ; in Idaho, an extensive district near its centre, and in Arizona, 
the White Mountains. 



GAJttPING. 205 

Bear. — The grizzly lives in timber or chaparral, aud is found in 
all the American portions of the Pacific Slope, and lias been espec- 
ially abundant in the Coast Mountains of California, in the remoter 
portions of whicli it may be found with little difficulty. In con- 
sequence of the liilly and bushy character of this favorite resort, it 
is often not seen by the hunter until the two are very near togetlicr, 
and usually the bear even of the largest size moves away at a brisk 
pace, but sometimes, especially if wounded or if a dam with young, 
will attack the man, who is extremely lucky if he escapes without 
serious injury. The grizzly is so large, strong, quick in movement, 
hard to kill, and fierce when provoked, that it is one of the most 
dangerous of all the brutes to attack. Sonoma, Mendocino and 
Humboldt Counties are the best places to hunt the grizz-ly. 

Buft'alo. — Buffaloes are so rare, and will so soon disappear en- 
tirely from the valleys of Idaho and AVestern Montana — the only 
portions of the Pacific Slope visited by them in the last 30 years — 
that they scarcely deserve to be considered as belonging to our game 
quadrupeds. 

Deer. — Animals of the deer kind occupy a prominent place on 
our coast. First of these in size, flavor of meat and excitement of 
the hunt, is the elk, which is still abundant in portions of Hum- 
boldt, Trinity, Del Norte and Siskiyou Counties, and in Southern 
Oregon. Indeed, it is found in nearly all the forest districts of the 
Pacific Slope, except the Sierra Nevada. Coos County, Oregon, 
and Yavapai, Arizona, have some good elk grounds. 

Idaho, Washington and British Columbia have the moose in small 
fiumbers, but it is very shy. 

The mule deer, found in the timber regions from Mexico to British 
Columbia, west of the Eocky ^Moimtains, except in California, is 
larger than tlie Virginian deer, and better for the table. The 
best hunting grounds for it are in the Blue Mountains of Eastern 
Oregon and Idaho. 

The black tail deer has its home in the timber and chaparral, west 
of the summit of the Cascade Pange and Sierra Nevada. Its meat 
is inferior to that of the mule deer and elk in flavor. It is abundant 
in the mountains of Sonora, Mendocino, and Marin Counties, many 
being killed every season within 20 miles of San Francisco. 

The antelope avoids the timber and moist regions, and finds a 
congenial home in the dry valleys of California, Nevada, Utah, 
New Mexico and Arizona. One of the best places for hunting it is 
the Mojave Desert. 

The mountain sheep are found in nearly all tlie high mountain 
sides of the Pacific Slope, between latitudes 82" and 54°, and arc 
perhaps more numerous on the Sierra Nevada, between 35° and 38°, 
and aljout Mt. Shasta, than elsewhere, V)ut they arc very shy and 
usually limiting themselves to the high, very rugged peaks, the 
chase requires unusual strength and enthusiasm. 

The mountain goat is a still rarer animal and even more shy. 



206 CAMPING. 

Eabbits, Etc. — There is no large valley between the Arctic and 
the Torrid Zone, west of the Rocky Mountains, without its hares and 
rabbits, so that the hunter, in search of such game, needs seldom 
go far to find its signs. The best known of the hares, on account 
of its very long ears, is generally called the jack rabbit. 

The tree squirrels are comparatively rare animals on our slope, 
though a few are found in Northern California, in Oregon and Wash- 
ington. The ground squirrel so abundant in the Californiau valleys, 
that it does great damage to the farmers, but is often poisoned, and 
rarely killed for the table. 

Wild Hog's, Etc. — Wild hogs, numerous in the swamps about 
Tulare Lake and in some other portions of the tule lands of Califor- 
nia, offer much material for sport. They are seldom large enough 
to be dangerous to the hunter, and are not fierce in disposition, but 
shy, and living amidst a dense vegetation, are not easily found. 

The raccoon of California, smaller than that of Virginia, is not 
abundant, and is not hunted at night like the latter animal ; indeed 
it is seldom hunted, though often killed by hunters, out looking for 
other game. 

The Californian opossum is not abundant enough to become a 
special object of the chase. 

The badger is abundant, but nocturnal in its habits, and, there- 
fore, seldom seen. The animal can be obtained by digging him out, 
but the process requires tedious toil, and when reached, must be 
quickly despatched to save dogs from injury. 

Carnivorous Animals. — In a wild region abounding with luxuri- 
ant vegetation, and with herbivorous animals, as does a considerable 
part of our slope, there are, of course, many carnivorous animals 
classed as game. 

First among these is the puma, cougar, or, as it is often called, the 
Californian lion, which inhabits the timber districts from latitude 
55° southward, and is more abundant in the Coast Range between 
39° and 42\ than in any other part of the continent. When full 
grown, its body is usually about as large and long a", that of a sheep, 
making a powerful animal, though decidedly inferior to the tiger 
and lion in size and strength. It is cowardly, and unless wounded 
or desperate, flees at the sight of man. With hounds accustomed 
to the puma, the chase is interesting. 

Wild cats and lynxes are found, like the pumas, in all the tim- 
bered districts. The gray wolf is found in most of the sparsely 
settled districts, in or near timber, but is not abundant anywhere. 
The coyote is abundant in many parts of California, and is some- 
times hunted with hounds. Like the fox, it lives in burrows. 
Foxes are also abundant. 

Turkey. — Among the game birds belonging to the order of 
scratchers, the largest is the wild turkey, which is not found any- 
where on our slope save in the Pacific portions of New JNIexico and 
Colorado, and the higher lands of Arizona. The large size and ex- 



CAMPING. 207 

cellent flavor of the wild turkey make it one of the most attractive 
kinds of feathered game, and will, doubtless, draw many sportsmen 
to the mountains of Arizona as soon as the advance of civilization 
shall Iiave done a, little more to provide for the comfort of travelers 
and the quietude of the redmen there. 

Orouse. — Grouse of various kinds are found over a large part of 
the Pacific Slope. The sage hen occupies the deserts, and several 
species of mountain grouse inliabit the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and 
Blue Mountains, and part of the Coast Range. They are most 
numerous in places where the timber is not dense, and offer at- 
tractive sport to the skillful hunter. The Pit river basin near its 
liead is an excellent place for them. 

Oliail. — The Calif ornian quail, an inhabitant of all the valleys 
uf California and Oregon, makes its home usually in the brush or 
chaparral, and is, therefore, not found so readily by hunters as the 
Virginian quail, though the greater abundance is a partial compen- 
sation. It has increased in numbers within the last 30 years ; the 
shotgun being less destructive to it than were the coyotes, hawks 
and owls, while the country was in the possession of the savages. 
•Wild quail are often seen in the San Francisco Park and in the gar- 
dens and fields of Oakland and Alameda, and large flocks are to be 
found a few miles out in the hills. Tlie mountain quail of California 
is comparatively rare, and is seldom made the special object of a hunt. 

Pigeons. — The wild pigeon is found in most of the timber dis- 
tricts of our slope, and many of them spend the summer in Wash- 
ington and British Columbia, and the winter in Arizona, Ne\v 
Mexico and Southern California, though they are more abundant in 
the spring and fall, while migrating, than in midsummer or mid- 
winter. The best places for hunting them, according to report, are 
the White Mountains, of Arizona, in the spring ; and northwestern 
California and southwestern Oregon in the autumn. 

Water Fowl. — Two species of swan visit the waters of our coast, 
but being rare and shy are seldom shot. 

The numerous inlets of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska, 
are favorite summer resorts for half a dozen species of wild geese, 
which pass through Oregon and California in their spring and fall 
migrations, some of them spending their winters in the latter State. 
There are excellent hunting grounds for them in the tule swamps 
about Suisun Bay, Tulare Lake, Humboldt Bay, and along the Sac- 
ramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The geese pasture on the young 
grain fields, and are so numerous that they do much damage. They 
are shot in all the lakes and streams of the coast. 

The ducks are more numerous than the geese, and found in the 
same resorts, but are shot with greater ease near the towns. 

Snipe and curlew are found in the lowlands along the streams 
within 100 miles of the ocean; and the sandhill crane, found in the 
dry as well as the moist valleys, is fit for the table, and a good 
game bird. 



208 CAMPING. 

The wide belts of tule swamp along the borders of San Francisco, 
San Pablo, Suisun and Humboldt Bays, and the lower portions of 
the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers abound with geese and 
ducks in their season. 

Fish. — Among game fish the first place belongs to the trout, which 
is found in nearly all the smaller streams of the coast. There are 
half a dozen species indigenous and peculiar to this Coast, and 
besides these the Atlantic trout has been transplanted into many of 
our streams. 

The Dolly Varden trout, inhabiting cold streams, formed by melting 
snows, in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range, from latitude 40" 
to Alaska, offers the best sport to fishermen, and is unsurpassed for 
the table. 

The Pacific brook trout is found in the streams of the Sierra 
Nevada, Cascade and Coast Mountains. It reaches a weight of 6 
lbs., and is good from May till December inclusive. The fish is not 
so vigorous in its motions as its Atlantic relative, nor is its appetite 
so sharp, and will often refuse to bite, especially after midsummer, 
when it has become shy. 

The Utah trout is cauglit with seine in Utah Lake, and with the 
hook in the tributary streams, especially in the Provo River. 

Salmon trout are caught in various ways in Lake Tahoe, one of 
the favorite being trolling. 

Lake Merced, within the corporate limits of San Francisco is 
stocked with trout, and is under the control of the Sportsman's 
Club. 

Pilarcitos Reservoir, 17 miles south of San Francisco, has trout, 
which may be taken under a pennit from the Spring Valley Water 
Company. Stockholders can obtain the paper for themselves or 
friends without charge ; strangers must pay $2.50. 

Lake Chabot, 10 miles from Oakland, has trout, and they can be 
taken under a permit from the Oakland Water Company. 

The Salmon takes the hook in salt water, and is one of the most 
attractive of the game fish, but few are caught save with the net or 
seine. 

The Whitefish or Mountain Herring (Goregenus WilUamsonii), 
found in the streams of Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and 
British Columbia, reach a length of 18 inches, take the hook readily, 
and are favorites with sportsmen. 

Several lakes in Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon have the 
redfish, deep scarlet in color, 20 inches long, and very palatable. 
They are caught with nets in the rivers during their spawning ex- 
peditions. 

The catfish, introduced by the Fish Commissioners into the waters 
of California, is caught with the hook. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 



The Group. — ^The islands that form the Hawaiian group lie 
between the 19th and 22d parallels of nortli lalitude. Their entire 
area is about 6,750 square miles. Hawaii, tiie largest, has 4,210 ; 
Maui, 760; Lanai, 150; Molokai, 270; Oahu, 600; and Kauai, 590; 
The entire population was reported, in the census of 1878, at 
57,985; of whom 44,088 were natives, 3,420 half-castes, 5,916 
Chinese, 1,276 Americans, and 3,285 foreigners of other nation- 
alities. The native population is decreasing so rapidly as to threaten 
extinction at no very distant day, the decrease during the past 30 
years being no less than 35 per cent. The cause is attributed to 
diseases introduced by foreigners, and to the use of tobacco and 
alcoholic liquor. It is not uncommon to see native children smok- 
ing at 3 or 4 years of age, the pipe being passed around the family 
circle, as is the custom in a group of American Indians. The for- 
eign population is gaining rapidly. In 1872 the number of foreigners 
was reported at 5,366 ; in 1878 at 10,477 ; a gain of 95 per cent, in 
6 years. 

American money is the legal currency. 

Honolulu. — The trip from San Francisco to Honolulu is made in 
about 8 days by steamers that sail once a month, and toucli tliere 
on the way to Australia and New Zealand. A first-class cabin 
passag6 costs $70. By sailing vessel the fare is $40. 

The promontory of Diamond Head, on the southern coast of Oahu, 
is the landmark that indicates a near approach to Honolulu. After 
sailing through the Molokai Channel, and past Waikiki, (a favorite 
holiday resort), the steamer makes a sharp turn and sails through a 
narrow channel, between the coral reefs. You enter the small 
landlocked harbor, and come in sight of Honolulu almost before you 
are aware of its proximity. 

The Hawaiian Hotel, a large two story structure of concrete, built 
by the government at an expense of $120,000, affords excellent 
accommodation. The charge is $3.00 a day, or $15.00 a week. The 
house is provided with deep piazzas and balconies, and faces, in one 
direction, the beautiful Nuuanu Valley. In front of it is a rotunda, 
where promenade concerts are frequently given by the Royal Band. 



210 HAWAIIAN^ ISLANDS. 

There are also nmneTons private boarding-honses; and fnmislied 
cottages can be liired by the week or month. 

In the summer the thermometer ranges, in Honolulu, between 
75° and 85°, and in winter from 65" to 80". The forenoon is the hot- 
test part of the day. During most of the year the trade wind sets 
in about 10 or 11 a. m. When it ceases, the weather becomes sul- 
try, but the nights are nearly always cool enough for rest, though 
there are people in Oahu who make a boast that they have never 
had a blanket in their house. 

Among the different objects of interest in Honolulu is the King's 
Palace, a four-story building, occupying an area of about 17,000 
square feet, with a central tower 80 feet in height. The Palace 
contains, in addition to the apartments devoted to the private use 
of the royal family, a line reception-room, a ball-room, a library,, a 
crown room, and a plate-room. Here are to be seen some fine por- 
traits and steel engravings, and in the plate-room are some beauti- 
ful specimens of plate and crystal presented by various monarchs 
and potentates. Near the Palace are the Government buildings, 
containing the Hawaiian Parliament house, the public ofSces, etc. 

On Saturday afternoon, the great resort, for both visitors and 
residents in Honolulu, is the fish market, on Queen Street. Besides 
fish, butchers' meat, fruit and vegetables are for sale. On this day, 
all the people from the surrounding country, who can spare the 
time, come to the market to make their purchases and to exchange 
gossip. The Kanaka women with their quaint dresses, and neck- 
laces of flowers, form the most striking feature of the scene. 

Tour of Oahu. — A trip through the most interesting portions of 
Oahu, can be made, on horseback, in 4 days, though a complete cir- 
cuit of the island would occupy 10 days. Outside of Honolulu, 
there are few places built specially for the accommodation of tour- 
ists, though in Oahu, as in the other islands, room and board can be 
obtained at the houses of natives, for about ^2.50 a day. The board 
consists mainly of poi, (a fermented paste made of the taro root, 
and the national dish of the Hawaiians), fish, beef or chickens, and 
cocoanut milk. Whatever else the tourist may want, he should 
take with him as part of the outfit. The best mode of travel is to 
hire pack-horses, with a tent and camp equipage. The cost of saddle- 
horses is about $2.00 a day; of a guide, furnishing his own horse, 
$2.50 a day. 

The most attractive sights in Oahu are the Nuuanu Valley, the 
entrance to which is close to Honolulu, and the palis, or wall-like 
precipices of black ferruginous rock that enclose its upper portion. 
Here was enacted one of those historic tragedies that sometimes 
occurred in the Islands, before they were inhabited by white men. 
The forces of the King of Oahu were driven by Kamehameha, the 
conqnerer, to the edge of the precipice, from which hundreds 
leaped in despair, and to this day their bones lie bleaching 800 feet 
below. 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 211 

Ten miles from the city, and 4 from the palis, at a short distance 
from the main road, is the Waimanalo Valley, fronting the sea, and 
backed by mountain ranges. Here is the nearest large sugar plan- 
tation to Honohihi — that of the Waimanalo Sugar Co'inpany, wi)ich 
has leased a tract of 8,000 acres, and has already over 1,000 under 
cultivation. 

Four miles from this valley, and 12 from Honolulu, is tlie Kael- 
epuki Lake, the resort of large flocks of wild fowl, and containing 
plenty of fresh-water fish. From this point one may regain the 
main road by a short circuit, and ride along the northern coast of 
the island, returning, by the inland track, the roads, after crossing 
the palis, being easily traversed by horse or buggy. 

A short drive from Laie (which is 32 miles from Honolulu) brings 
the tourist to the Waimea Beach, Avhere there is a great variety of 
shells, but where no traveler should venture without a guide, on 
account of the dangerous quicksands. Hence the road leads through 
the Waimea and Lauhulu valleys to Waialua. From this point 
there is a choice of two routes ; one, the inland track, leading 
through tiiC Ewa district, back to Honolulu, a distance of 27 miles ; 
the other around the western coast, by way of Keaua Foint, making 
a circuit of more than 50 miles. The latter road is, in some parts, 
difficult of travel, but brings the traveler in sight of some fine 
scenery. A few miles from Keaua Point is the Kaala Mountain, the 
highest in Oahu, rising 4,060 feet above the sea level. High up on 
the mountain are perennial springs, which unite in a single stream 
and form a cascade, with a fall of 1,000 feet down the mountain 
side. On a plateau, easy of access, and at no great elevation, is a 
small house, from which a good view can be obtained. 

Maui.— The trip from Honolulu to Kahului, the principal harbor 
of Maui, occupies 15 hours by steamer. The fare is $6. The packet 
ships of the Spreckel's Line keep up direct communication between 
San Francisco and Kahului. At Wailuku, the chief town of the 
island, there are several lodging-houses and restaurants. At Kahului 
there is also public accommodation, with excellent bathing, fishing 
and hunting. 

The island of Maui, which lies betAveen Oahu and Hawaii, con- 
tains a large number of sugar plantations. Four tons to the acre is 
no uncommon yield, and the average is about 2i tons. Cane is being 
planted nearly all the year round, on some portion of the island. 
In 1860, the exi)ort of sugar from all the Islands was but 722 tons; in 
1871, it had increased to 10,880 tons, and in 1881 it exceeded 
44,000 tons. A few miles from Wailuku are the plantations of Claims 
Spreckels, who holds a lease of 15,000 acres of crown lands in tlic 
neighborhood, besides owning a large adjoining tract acquired by 
purchase. Irrigation is an absolute necessitj' in this district, antl 
^Ir. Spreckels obtains his supply by means of a water-race and pipe 
line connecting his plantations with the northern coast of the 
island. In constructing these works, over 20,000 feet of heavy 



212 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 

piping were used, and 30 gulches were crossed, with a width vary- 
ing from 200 to 2,000 feet, and some of them having a depth of 400 
feet. The delivering capacity of the race is nearly 60,000,000 gal- 
lons a day. The furrows, in which the cane is planted, can be 
filled with water in 20 minutes, and one man can irrigate 25 acres 
a day. It is anticipated that the yield of this plantation for 1882 
will amount to 10,000 tons. 

The greatest attraction in Maui is the extinct volcano of Hal- 
eakala (House of the Sun), 10,000 feet in height, with a crater 30 
miles in circumference, and a floor 2,000 feet below the top of the 
surrounding wall. The ascent, which is made from Makawao, 12 
miles distant from Wailuku, involves a ride of a few miles over 
lava beds, but presents no great difficulty. It is usual to ride up in 
the afternoon and camp near the summit, where there are wood 
and water, and lava caves roomy enough for parties of 4 or 5 per- 
sons ; but the nights are very cold, and the better plan is to start 
by moonlight, with a competent guide, at 2 or 3 a. m., arriving at 
the summit in time for sunrise, and returning the same day. The 
crater of Haleakala is the largest in the world, 

Wailuku is built on the banks of a stream, which issues from the 
lao Valley, a short distance from the town, and a few hours will 
suffice to explore the beauties of this region, which is sometimes 
called the Hawaiian Yosemite. Beyond the lao Valley is the 
Wailuku Pass, and beyond the pass is a mountain, at the base of 
which is situated the town of Lahaina, at one time the most im- 
portant commercial place in the Hawaiian Kingdom. In returning 
from Lahaina to Wailuku the road through the pass, though diffi- 
cult, is often selected by male tourists on account of the fine oppor- 
tunity it afibrds of viewing the great gorge of the lao. The more 
usual route leads over a spur of the mountain. At Lahaina there 
are several lodging-houses and restaurants. Horses can be obtained 
at Wailuku and Lahaina for $2 to $3 a day, and at the latter town 
express wagons can be hired at $1.25 an hour, for each passenger, 
to visit points of interest in the neighborhood. 

Molokai. — The island of Molokai lies about 15 miles to leeward 
of Maui, and whale-boats can be hired at Lahaina for a visit. The 
charge for a boat pulled by 6 men, and with accommodation for 4 
passengers, is $10. Molokai can also be reached by steamer from 
Honolulu in a few hours, at an expense of $5 for each passenger. 
In this island, at the foot of a precipice 2,000 feet high, and 
bounded seaward by a pali 1,000 to 2,000 feet in depth, ^ is the leper 
asylum of the Hawaiian Kingdom, occupying a plain of about 
20,000 acres. He who is sent to Molokai is dead to the world ; his 
wife may obtain a divorce, and his estate be administered as though 
he were actually deceased. 

The lepers number about 700, and are provided by the Govern- 
ment with house-room, clothing and sufficient rations of poi and 
beef, or salmon. There is a hospital for the treatment of persons 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 213 

in advanced stages of the disease, and a store, where goods are sold 
at cost. The patients are allowed to cultivate the land, and the 
products are purchased by the Board of Health. 

Lanai. — This island lies about 5 miles to the south of Molokai, 
and can also be reached by fishing and whale-boats from Lahaina, 
but not by steamer direct from Honolulu. Lanai is the favorite 
resort of botanists, and contains many rare varieties of mosses and 
ferns. It also offei's to the antiquary a choice field for his research. 
Before the spread of Christianity in the Hawaiian Kingdom, it was 
believed to bo the abode of the Hawaiian gods; and there are yet in 
existence many ruins of their heiaus, or places of worship. One of 
them is still in as perfect a state of preservation, as when human 
victims were sacrificed on its altars, less than a century ago. Near 
another, at a place called Kaunolu, was a favorite fishing ground of 
Kamehameha, the conqueror of Oahu; and traces of his residence 
are still to be seen in the neighborhood. 

Hawaii. — Hilo, the principal town in this island, and the rainiest 
town in all the islands, is accessible by steamer from Lahaina and 
Maalaea Bay, in Maui The Lihelike leaves Honolulu every Tues- 
day afternoon, and touches at both these points on the outward and 
return journey. The trip from Honolulu to Hilo occupies about 
40 hours, and the fare is $12.50. On the return trip, the steamer 
makes the circuit of the island each alternate week, calling at several 
points of interest on the way. For this there is an additional charge 
of $12.50. Kaawaloa, in Kealakakua Bay, is one of the calling 
places most frequented. It is but a collection of native huts, but 
a stone obelisk, 30 feet in height, and shaded with cocoa palms, 
marks the place where Cook was killed. The inscription on 
the monument reads : "In memory of the great circumnavigator, 
Captain Cook, R. N., who discovered these islands on the 18th of 
January, A. D. 1778, and fell near this spot, on the 14th day of 
February, A. D. 1779. This monument was erected in November, 
A. D. 1874, by some of his fellow-countrymen." 

Surf-board is one of the favorite sports at Hilo. On a rough day, 
when a heavy sea is rolling, a party of natives, each with his papc- 
he-nala (a tough plank, G to 10 feet long, and 2 feet wide), swim out 
to the first Ime of breakers, and watching their chance, dive under- 
neath, and are carried by the undertow into the smooth water 
beyond. Here they remain until some huge roller gives them the 
chance they seek, when they place themselves in front of it, lying 
face downwards on the board. The wave speeds on, and its base 
soon strikes the ground, while the top curls over, and propels the 
swimmer before it with the speed of an express train, until he is 
landed high and dry ou the shore. 

A short distance from the town is a small lagoon, where beautiful 
specimens of coral may be obtained, and on the rocks, near by, are 
cowrie shells. Opposite the lagoon is Cocoanut Island. There is 
no pleasanter spot for a picnic in all Hawaii. 



214 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 

The bay is deep enough for ships of heavy tonnage, and roomy 
enough to accommodate a large fleet of vessels. If a breakwater 
were built out from the shore to Cocoanut Island, it would make 
the harbor secure in stormy weather. Within half an hour's ride 
of the island is Keokea Point, from which there is a fine view of 
the town, the sea, the coast line, and the neighboring sugar planta- 
tions, beyond which are forests, covering the mountain slopes up 
to the point where vegetation ceases. Beyond the forests is the 
huge snow-covered tufa cone of Maunakea (white mountain), 14,500 
feet above the sea level. Two miles further is Leleiwi Point, com- 
manding a view of the south-eastern coast of Hawaii. 

The " llainbow Falls, " in the Wailuku gorge, a few miles north 
of Hilo, are well worthy of a visit. A good view of them may be 
obtained from a bridge that spans the Wailuku Piver, near its 
mouth. 

Thirty miles from Hilo is the active volcano of Kilauea, 4,400 feet 
in height, and easy of access. The journey requires 8 to 10 hours. 
The charge for horses and guide is $10 each for the trip. The guides 
understand English imperfectly, and should be carefully instructed 
before starting. The equipments for the journey should include 
waterproof clothing, plenty of shawls or cloaks, as it seldom fails to 
rain either part of the day or all day, and the evenings are chilly on 
the mountain summit. 

After a ride of 3 or 4 miles, the road passes through a forest dense 
with undergrowth. Then comes swampy ground, covered with the 
ti tree, and sometimes impassable in very wet weather. Beyond this 
are beds of lava, or pahoehoe, in native parlance. The Half-W^ay 
House, kept by a native Hawaiian, is 13 miles from Hilo, and 17 
from the summit. Here food and fodder can be obtained, and 2 or 3 
hours' rest may be taken, if the party have started early enough. 
The remainder of the road is rough, though not very steep, and 
much of it still leads over lava beds. At the summit is the Volcano 
House, which has good fare and excellent accommodation. 

Facing the sleeping apartments of the hotel are the burning 
lakes, called in the Hawaiian tongue Hale-mau-maU; or "the house 
of everlasting fire." The crater is 9 miles in circumference, and 
about 1,000 feet deep. From the Volcano House to the edge of 
Hale-mau-mau is a distance of 3 miles, by a steep but not difficult 
path. There are two burning caldrons or lakes, separated by a 
bank of lava SOfeet high, and having an extreme diameter of about 
a furlong. Here the visitor may stand and listen to the rumblings, 
detonations and hissings of the molten sea as it dashes its waves 
against the shore, only 80 feet below. During the eruptions, fire- 
fountains play to a height of several hundred feet, from which lava 
threads are spun out by the wind, and adhere to the neighboring 
rocks. These are called "Pele's hair," from the name of the god- 
dess who is supposed to preside over Hilauea. 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 215 

Many visitors prefer to return by way of the Puna coast. By 
this route the journey hack to Hilo is 70 miles from the Volcano 
House. At Kaimu, 25 miles distant, sweet potatoes, bananas, 
cocoanuts, and chickens may be obtained, but no otlier eatables, and 
the water is very bad. Fifteen miles further on, good water and 
comfortable quarters may be obtained, at the house of Captain 
Eldart. Thence a ride of 23 miles brings the visitor Ijack to Hilo. 

In the interior of HuMaii is a desert jjlateau, 5,000 to G,000 feet 
in height, lying between the volcanic mountains Maunaloa, Mauna- 
kea and Hualalai. This plateau is entirely destitute of water, and 
does not contain a single inhabitant, or even a trail. The forests 
which skirt the base of ISIaunakea are the resorts of large droves 
of wild cattle and hogs, which are hunted for their skins, the car- 
cass being worthless. The ascent of this mountain is made from 
^V'aimea, in the northern portion of the island. The path leads 
through the sheep station of Kalaieha. From Waimea the ascent 
occupies about 11 hours ; from Kalaieha 6 hours. Persons wishing 
to make the ascent should arrange to camp at the station, high up 
on the mountain, near a lake, which usually forms the goal of the 
journey. The lake can be reached within 5 hours from Waimea, 
and a road to it has been built through the sheep ranch. Soundings 
have been taken to a depth of more than 300 feet without finding 
bottom. From the neighborhood of the lake a view can be obtained 
of Haleakala in the island of Maui. On the southern slope of the 
mountain grows, in its greatest perfection, the sword plant, with 
leaves resembling a silver fan, and branches that bear flowers of a 
delicate dove color. The jilant flowers in November, and is found 
elsewhere on the islands, but nowhere in such yeriect development 
as on Maunakea. The ascent of the mountain presents no great 
diflBculty to persons not liable to mountain sickness, and on its 
summit one may dismount at an elevation of 14,500 feet above the 
sea level, on the crest of the highest mountain in the Pacific. 

The ascent of ^Maunaloa is a more ardurous task, and one less 
frequently attempted. The height is 13,G03 feet. The mountain 
sides have deep ravines and slopes of loose scoria?, difficult to cross. 
Mountain sickness, attended with severe lieadaclie and prostration, 
is apt to ensue, but can be partially relieved by rubbing the head 
with snow. The crater of Mokuaweoweo, at tlie summit, is 6 miles 
in circumference, and contains probably the largest volcano in the 
world. The center of activity is an incandescent lake, aljout 800 
feet below, and nearly a mile distant from the nearest accessible 
point. When the volcano is active, the center of the lake shows 
waves of white-hot lava, and from it rises to a height of about 400 
feet a fountain 150 feet in diameter at the base, with cross fountains, 
Uke wheat-sheaves, at the lower part, twining as it rises into the 
air, and returning in a fiery spray to the surface. Occasionally 
almost the whole surface of the lake rises in one burning mass to a 
height of 1,500 feet, under the influence of some violent internal 



216 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 

action. Since Hawaii was inhabited by white men, there have been 
10 volcanic eruptions from the crater of Maunaloa. The ernp- 
tions do not proceed from the crater's filling up and running over, 
but from the sides of the mountain, which, being unable to bear the 
enormous pressure, give way, and allow the molten mass to escape. 

Guides, provisions, and animals for the ascent of Maunaloa, 
can be obtained at the Volcano House, on the summit of Hilauea. 
In all excursions on rainy portions of the islands, the outfit should 
include plenty of waterproof clothing. In many parts, no day 
passes without a heavy rain shower, and there are localities where 
the rainfall exceeds 100 inches a year. It is also advisable to take, 
as part of the luggage, a saddle, bridle, and all the trappings 
needed for a horse. It is difficult to hire a saddle or saddle-bag, 
and sometimes even to buy one. Horses are more plentiful than 
men, and can always be purchased at a very moderate cost. It is 
one of the jokes in Hawaii to go to a horse auction, and buy an 
untrained colt for 25 cents. 

Many travelers prefer to return to Honolulu in sailing vessels, 
which make the trip in almost the same time as the steamer, though 
requiring several days to beat up to Hawaii, on account of its lying 
to windward. 

Kauai. — This island lies to the leeward of Oahu, and can be 
reached by steamer from Honolulu, or a passage may be taken by 
sailing vessel from ports in Oahu, Maui or Hawaii, and the return 
trip made by steamer. The boat leaves Honolulu on Monday after- 
noons, and after touching at Nawiliwili, the principal port in the 
island, and calling at Hanamaulu, Kapaa and Kilauea, proceeds to 
Haualei, on the northern coast. The steamer fare from Honolulu 
to any part of the island is $6. 

In Kauai the best mode of travel is to take a camp outfit. With 
the exception of restaurants at Waimea, Kilauea, Hanalei and 
Koloa, there are few conveniences for obtaining board, and apart 
from the houses of the natives, there is no sleeping accommodation 
on the island, outside of Koloa. 

The sea near Waimea, a favorite landing place for schooners, 
abounds with sharks, and the natives niake a business of catching 
them, when they are asleep in the sea caves. The Kanaka is an 
expert swimmer and diver, and can remain under water 5 minutes 
at a time. He will peer about cautiously until he discovers a shark 
asleep and in a suitable position — that is with his head in a cave. 
He then runs a noose around his tail, and the shark is pulled ashore, 
dispatched with spears and clubs, and boiled down for its oil. 
Many of the natives do not hesitate to fight the shark, and one man 
lias been known to noose as many as ten at a time, and all in a sin- 
gle cave. 

A short distance from Waimea are the ' ' barking sands, " — a bank 
of coarse sand, 50 or 60 feet high, with a steep, uniform angle. If 
the sand be taken up in handfulls, and brought together with a 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 217 

sharp concussion, a sound is produced like the barking of a dog — 
hence the name. Sliding your horse down the bank, you hear a 
dull, subterraneous ruml)le, like the muttering of distant thunder. 
The sand is formed of decomposed lava, coral and shells, and the 
phenomenon is attributed to the action of electricity. 

At a short distance from the sand-hill is a mirage, always visible 
at certain houi's of the day. It is the apparition of a great lake, 
and the deception is so complete that visitors, who are not aware of 
the phenomenon, often attempt to ride around the phantom lake, i 

In Kauai, especially near Koloa, (a short distance from Waimea),' 
are many beautiful ravines, in which are waterfalls and many-tinted 
woods festooned with ferns ; but the most picturesque sight is tlie 
vale of Hanalei, 2 days ride from Waimea. Here the mountains, 
with the waterfalls streaking their wooded slopes, and the river 
Hanalei, narrowed into a gorge by the mountain barriers, but ex- 
panding into a stream over 2 miles in width, as it approaches the 
Pacific, form a scene that the tourist will not care to miss. 

On the north-east comer of the island, at Haena, near Hanalei, 
is the "Wife of the Devil," a sea cave, the depth of which no one 
has yet been able to fathom ; neither has its cave been yet fully 
explored. There are numerous legends extant about monsters that 
once inhabited this cave. 

The climate of Kauai is much cooler than that of the islands to 
windward of it, and during most of the year there is a moist but 
enjoyable atmosphere. 

The steamer leaves Hanalei for the return trip about noon on 
Wednesday, and after calling at the same points as on the outward 
voyage, touches at Nawiliwili, whence she sails for Honolulu, on 
Friday afternoons. 



CHAPTER IX. 

MINERAL SPRINGS. 



Medicinal Value. — Our slope has thousands of mineral springs, 
which are not only far more numerous than those on the x\tlantic 
side of our continent, but also more valuable for medicinal purposes. 
Among all the American Springs, east of the Rocky Mountains, 
there is not one of the first rank in the alkaline or purgative class ; 
whereas, our slope has several excellent springs in each class. The 
prediction may be made with confidence, tliat when the qualities of 
these occidental springs are better known, many thousands of in- 
valids will come from the Atlantic States every year to enjoy their 
curative influences. 

Medicinal Waters are of two main classes, thosie for internal use, 
or drinking; and those for external use, or bathing. Some waters 
are used extensively for both purposes, but they are prized chiefly 
for one or tlie other use. 

The waters for internal use are subdivided into two main classes, 
the alkaline, in which carbonates predominate, and purgatives in 
which sulphates predominate. 

The solids found in mineral waters are either active or inert. 
Sulphate of lime, carbonate of lime, silica and chloride of sodium, 
are usually to be considered inert. When, however, the carbonate 
of lime is the predominant mineral, there are possibilities that it 
may be deposited in the bladder; and when water is strong with 
chloride of sodium, its use provokes an injurious thirst. Borax is 
usually an inert substance, but may be of service in some irritations 
of the throat. A difi"erence of five grains in the quantity of the 
active salts in alkaline or purgative waters is not important, and, 
therefore, it is useless for the purposes of the physician to state 
fractions of a grain, unless in the case of iodine, bromine, phosphoric 
acid, or some mineral which is potent in small quantities. Such 
minerals however are very rare. 

The term, mineral water, has no precise definition, recognized as 
correct, by general consent of the writers on the subject, and may 
be defined here, as any natural water containing more than 12 grains 
of solids in a gallon. No mineral spring with less than 50 grains 
of solid matter in a gallon, has a long established reputation for 
curative qualities, as an internal remedy. The Bethesda Spring, 



MIN^ERAL SPRINGS. 210 

which has a reputation of recent date, contains 36 grains to the 
gallon. 

Localities of Sprini^Se — Air.ong springs of which analytical tables 
are given in this chapter, the Adams Springs are in Lake County, 
California ; the Aptos Spring, on the farm of B. C. Nichols, in Santa 
Cruz Count}^ ; the Beer Spring in Oregon ; the Bitter Spring at Min- 
eral Park, Arizona ; the Cabezon Valley Hot Spring, 10 miles south 
from White River, in Nevada; the Calistoga Springs atCalistoga; 
the Congress Spring, (not to be confounded with the Pacific Con- 
gress,) 5 miles north of Suisun; the Des Chuttes Hot Spring in 
Wasco County, Oregon; the Dos Palnios Spring in San Diego County, 
California; the Empire Spring, 5 miles north from Suisun; the 
Encino Spring, 14 miles from Los Angeles; the Etna Springs, 18 
miles from St. Helena, California ; Fulton's Sulphur Well, 13 miles 
from Los Angeles ; the Geyser Springs in Sonoma County, Califor- 
nia: the Gypsum Spring in northwestern Arizona; the Hot Borate 
Spring in Lake County, California; the Idaho Hot Springs in Clear 
Creek County, Colorado; the LeKoy Mineral Springs, 2 miles from 
LeRoy, Wyoming; the Litton Spring in Sonoma Countj^ California; 
the Little Yosemite Soda Springs in Kern County, California ; the 
Lower Soda Springs, 30 miles south from Salem, Oregon ; the Napa 
Soda Springs, 6 miles from Napa City ; the New Almaden Spring 
at New Almaden; the I'acific Congress Springs at Saratoga; the 
Paso Eobles Springs at Paso Robles; the Saline Flats in the Mojave 
"Valley; the Salt Lake Hot Springs, near Salt Lake City; the Salt 
Wells, near Stone's Ferry, in Nevada; the Sanel Spring in Mendo- 
cino County, California; the San Bernardino Hot Springs, 5 miles 
from the town of San Bernardino; San Fernando Sulphur Springs, 
near San Fernarido; San Juan Capistrano Springs, 12 miles from 
San Juan Capistrano ; Santa Barbara Thermal Springs, 5 miles from 
Santa Barbara; Skagg's Springs, 8 miles from Geyserville; Summit 
Soda Springs, near Summit Station; Virgin River Springs, Lincoln 
County, Nevada; Wliite Sulphur Springs, 2 miles from St. Helena 
and Wilhoit Springs, 27 miles south from Portland. 

CJiemislS. — Among tlie Chemists who have made quantitative 
analytical examinations of tlie mineral waters of our slope, are J. A. 
Bauer, Thomas Price, H. G. Hanks, B. B. Thayer Jolm Hews- 
ton, Jr. , Edward Booth and L. Lanzweert, of San Francisco ; John 
Le Conte and E. W. Hilgard, of Berkeley ; the late John A. Veatch ; 
C. T. Jackson, of Boston; and J. H. Hill, of London. 

Alkaline Springs. — The following table shows the number of 
grains of each of the principal constituents in the Pacific Alkaline 
Springs, of which we have analytical figures. Less than half a 
grain is not counted : more than half a grain is put down as a grain. 

The asterisk (*) attached to a carbonate, indicates that it is a bi- 
carbonate. The X means that the water sparkles with gas. The 
gallon of the Etna water, analyzed by Bauer, is a wine gallon ; in all 
other cases it is, or is supposed to be, an imperial gallon. 



MINERAL SPRINGS. 







I 



MINERAL SPRINGS. 2^1 

V,vr S^ purpose of comparison, the active constituents of tlie 
vichy, tjuis, and Apollinans, are here given. 

Constituents. Vichy. Ems. ApoUinaris. 

Carbonate of Soda 208 84 70 

Carbonate of Magnesia. .11 7 25 

Carbonate of L-on 

Carbonate of Potash 16 .. ,', 

Sulphate of Soda 18 ' .' 17 

Sulphate of Magnesia 

Sulphate of Potash . ! '3 

The active substances wliich give character to alkaline springs are 
usually carbonate of soda, magnesia, and iron, with smaller propor- 
tions of sulphate of soda, magnesia, and potash. The alkaline 
waters are alterative and tonic in their effect, and are mainly valu- 
able m diseases of the stomach and kidneys, in certain inflammations 
01 the throat, and other internal organs. 

The most famous alkaline waters of Europe are those of Vichy 
hms and Apollmaris, which bear a strong resemblance to one 
another m the proportions of their active constituents, though the 
number of grains in a gallon is considerably larger in Vichy than in 
Ems and Apollinans. The New Almaden Spring closely resembles 
tlie Vichy, but has more carbonate of lime than is desirable : the 
i^tna bprmgs closely resemble the Ems and ApoUinaris, and are bv 
the combination of their medicinal qualities with their situation, 
better suited to become a l:i eat health resort than any other springs 
on our slope. The New Almaden Spring is in a narrow canyon, 
near the quicksilver mine, and will probably not attract many 
\ isitors so long as the miners occupy the surrounding ground. The 
Adams Spring is, next to the Etna, the one which will lind most 
favor with physicians. The Skaggs Spring is good ; the Little Yo- 
semite and the Sanel have undesirable proportions of carljonate of 
hme; the Pacific Congress and the Wilhoit waters are used exten- 
^'7.^'-/r, .^. ,^^'"^ excellent features, though they would be 
better if they had less chloride of sodium. ^ ^ 

The Lower Soda Springs, 1, 2 and 3, are remarkable for the sus- 
piciously arge amount of iron; it seems almost incredible that the 
water could hold so much. 

The weaker alkaline springs, if they contain any iron, are some- 
times classed as chalybeate. Their waters can be used in large 
quantity, without injury, as common beverages. Europe has noth- 
ing in this class equal to the Napa Soda, of which 700,000 bottles 
rrl^^^n Francisco and other places annually. 

1 he Congress and Empire Springs are rather saline than alkaline 
Besides the constituents of the Litton Spring, ascertained quanti- 
tively by Prof. Hanks, he found that it contains 53 grains of 
!!nf?^r ^^,^^,'.,^J?'"i°av organic matter, and carbonates of ammonia, 
potash and lithium. Until these constituents are ascertained it will 
be impossible to determine the medicmal value of this water 



,-,22 MINEBAL SPRINGS. 

Edward Booth, chemist, who analyzed the water from one of the 
Etnalprings, for' the State Mineralogical Bureau, fo^^^^^ th^ rt eon^ 
tained 1G2 Srkins of solid matter in an imperial gallon, mcludmg 4b 
of carbon^tl of potassium, 25 of oai^onate of -f ^-' f J ^^f ^25,' 
of magnesium, 4 of carbonate of lime, 3 of sulphate of lime 2o ot 
clilSof potassium, 14 of chloride of soda, 7 of silica, 11 of borax 
and less than half a grain each of carbonate of iron and sulphate of 
Ldiim This analysis is remarkable for tl-. l-ge amoun o^car- 
bonate of potassium which it discovers-46 grams. That salt is not 
reported by any other analyst in California; and among 195 springs 
"f^wMch the analysis is given in Blum's German Book on mineral 
waters only one contains carbonate of potassium, and that has only 
about the twentieth part of a grain in a gallon. In those 19o spring , 
not one has so much chloride of potassium as ^l^l"!;;:^.^^^^^^^^^ 
and no flowing spring has one eighth so much of thefoimeras ol 
tiiflatteilalt' ?he exceptional character of the analysis suggests 
a doubt of its correctness; but Prof. Hanks, of the State Buieau 
has full confidence in ISIr. Booth's trustworthmess as a chemist, and 
the discrepancy seems to deserve further investigation. 

The Etna sWg, No. 1, of the tabic, is the spring that rises 
through a mining shaft; No. 2, is the ^ou spout spring or nud Ik 
8prin|, on the southern bank of the brook; No. 3 ^^ the easte n 
spring on that side, and No. 4 is the sprmg on the north side of the 

^TurffatiYC Waters.-Next in value to alkaline waters for medic- 
inal use are the purgative springs, in which the leadmg constituents 
are sulphates of soda, magnesia" and potash. The association with 
these of carbonates of soda, magnesia and iron, and chlorides of mag- 
nesia and lime are considered beneficial ^,._^p^„„. Palifor- 
The Paso Eobles Mud Baths, in San Luis Obispo County, Calitor 
nia according to the analysis of John Hewston, Jr. , coutains o g^^^^^^^^ 
of carbonate of soda; 3 of carbonate of magnesia; % of chloude o^ 
sodium; 41 of sulphate of soda; 18 of sulphate of lime; 4 of silica 
Tnd ^Jimina ; tot^l solids in a gallon, 167 g--^;,\^-P-fXz;i b^ 
The Volcanic Mmeral Spring, in Death Valley analyzed by 
Thomas Price, contains 345 grains of f-^^^.^^^te of soda; 368 ot 
chloride of sodium ; 26 of chlorate of potassium; 139 of s^lphate of 
soda ; 6 of silica and alumina, with traces of iron, ^^'^mine lod ^ 
and boric and phosphoric acids. Total solids in ^^^f^ll^"' ff ^^^ ;^^ 
The water found 1,800 feet from the surface m the ^/>^^^^ ^ ^^"^^^^^ 
Mine at Virginia City, in 1877, contamed 48 grains of soluble salts 
^ a gaUon including'^17 of sulphate of Iniie, 26 o «- P^-tc of soda 
and 1 of chloride of sodium; while the water on the l,/00 foot leve 
had 14 gi-ains of sulphate of lime, 6 of sulphate of ^o^la and 7 of 
Xaline carbonates. The water found in the lower levels of the 
Hale ^nS cross Mine, in the same year, had 19 grains of sulphate 
of potassa, 23 of sulphate of lime, 8 of sulphate of soda, and 1 of 
chloride of sodium. 



P H H 20 M CC CO 02 OJ 

QHg ^gj ^J— ^g-g^ 

S2°^p^f^ppp 



MINERAL SPKLNGS. 



►- H- — r, «. p p 



n P 



O i 



t;.P s 



^BifSg-,r3 






'cro' 
o o 

p P 



O 

II 



o o o o 

H*, X, M, l-h 






►^ 00 

en CO 



to to CO • 
05 O H- . 



Ox to 

o w 

C5 05 



CO CO • 
C5 ^^ • 



GO o Oi en O CO ' 






W 0000 ' 
•^ Oi ^1 00 . 



. • OiOxOx. 
to • -~I rfi. to- 



to O OT 



^1 00 »-< . 
to 00 C^ • 



00 o 
to C^ ' 



Or 

CO 

cot- 



to 



O I— 
00 00 



' O) Ox 



g 



223 



BiTTKR Spring. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



Gypsum Spring. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



Aptos Spring. 
(Lange.) 



Beer Spring. 



IiiAHO Hot Spring. 
(Dohle.) 



Encino Rancho. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



Virgin River Spring. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



Salt Wells. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



San Bernardino Spring, No 1 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



San Bernardino Spring, No 2 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



Dos PALMOS Oasis. 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



LeRoy Mineral Spring. 
(Smart.) 



Saline Flat.s 
(Wheeler's Survey.) 



224 MINERAL SPRINGS. 

The Boulder Mineral Spring, 12 miles from Boulder, Colorado, 
contains 7 grains of the bicarbonate of soda ; 1 of bicarbonate of 
magnesia; 52 of bicarbonate of lime; 5 of bicarbonate of iron; 6 
of chloride of sodium; 129 of sulphate of soda; 1 each of the 
bromide and the iodide of sodium; and 5 of silica and alumma 
The total solids in a gallon, amount to 207 grams. The author ot 
the analysis is not reported. 

Owen's Lake Warm Springs, near Little Owen s Lake, accordmg 
to Wheeler's survey, contain 1,733 grains of carbonate of soda; lb5l- 
of chloride of sodium : 659 of sulphate of soda; 458 of sulphate ot 
potassa; and 12 of silica and alumina; together with traces of boric, 
phosphoric and nitric acids. Total solids in a gallon, 4514 grains. 
The Black Lake, near Benton, in Mono County, California, as 
analyzed by Wheeler's survey, contains 875 grams of carbonate ot 
soda; 166 of chloride of sodium; 209 of sulphate of soda; 60 of 
sulphate of potassa; and 4 of silica and alumma; together witli 
traces of bromine, iodine, and boric and phosphoric acids, lotai 
grains in a gallon 1,314, . <■ a j. n^ 

Of the Pacific Seltzer Spring, 10 miles west of Santa Clara we 
have no information, save from a card purporting to give an analysis 
made by the late James Howden, who at one time held the title ot 
State Chemist of California. He found 51 grains of carbonate of 
soda, 77 of carbonate of magnesia, 9 of carbonate of lime 91 ot 
chloride of sodium, 18 of chloride of magnesium, and 12 of chloride 
of potassium, besides 152 grains of free carbonic acid. This makes 
an excellent alkaline water, one of the best on the continent. 

The Paso Robles Des Chutes, Santa Barbara, No. 1 and Owen s 
Lake Warm Spring, of which the figures are given under the head ot 
Thermal Springs, have excellent alkaline qualities. The presence 
of a little sulphate of soda adds to their value. There are hotels at 
the Aptos and San Bernardino Springs. _ 

The Atlantic Ocean contains in a gallon, 2, 139 grains of solid mat- 
ter, including 1,671 of chloride of sodium, 200 of chloride of mag^ 
nesium, and 108 of sulphate of potash; the Dead Sea has 13,488 
jrrains of solid matter, including 6,703 of chloride of sodium; 4 46/ 
of chloride of magnesium; 1,376 of chloride of hme, and 683 ot 
chloride of potassium ; Owen's Lake has 7,005 grains of solid matter, 
including 2,942 of chloride of sodium, 2,914 of carbonate of sodium, 
and 957 of sulphate of sodium. . . xt. -d • r 

One of the best purgative springs m California is the Paraiso, b 
miles from Soledad, in a beautiful shady canyon, 1,000 feet above 
the level of the sea. According to an analysis made by 1 rot. A 
Cichi, S. J., it contains in a gallon 59 grains of solids, including 3b 
of sulphate of soda, and 4 each of carbonate of soda, chloride of soda 

and sulphate of lime. .i -d n c ,vnif ^ 

The typical purgative waters of Europe are the Pullna, beidUtz, 
Friedriclishall, Hunyadi and Rakoczy. The following table shows 
the grains in a gallon of their chief constituents : 



MINERAL SPBINGS. 



225 



Constituents. 


c 
1 


• 


3 

I 





1 


Sulphate of Soda 


990 
745 


136 

600 


372 

316 
489 
242 


1275 

1153 

95 


1170 

1410 

110 


Sulphate of Magnesia 


Chloride of Soda 


Chloride of Magnesia 


132 






Carbonate of Soda 


29 


25 


Carbonate of Magnesia 








32 




Total Solids 


1986 


848 


1553 


2725 


3196 



Our slope has nothing to approach these waters in their purgative 
strength, but has several that may be equally valuable for medicinal 
purposes. Two tablespoonfuls of the Kakoczy or Hunyadi are enough 
for a patient in a day; but the large proportion of solid matter 
in the gallon, adds nothing to the value of tiie water, except for ex- 
portation. Some of the Pacific purgative waters are strong enough 
for efficiency. The best are the Beer, Encino, Idaho, Virgin Eiver 
and San Bernardino, No. 1 and No. 2. The Bitter, Gypsum and 
Aptos are good, but have more sulphate of lime than is desirable. 
The salt wells are predominantly saline though rich in sulphate of 
soda. The Dos Palmos Spring is also predominantly saline and has 
no purgative quality. The San Bernardino Spring, No. 1, is near, 
and in front of the hotel; spring No. 2, is 200 yards distant and also 
in front of the hotel. 

Thermal Springs.— The tables headed thermal springs and sul- 
phur springs are miscellaneous in their character. The Hot Borate, 
on account of its large percentage of borate of sodium, and carbonate 
of ammonium, is not a medicinal spring. The Santa Barbara, Owen's 
Lake and Paso Robles, are predominantly alkaline springs, the last 
having an excellent combination of constituents, making it one of the 
best natural therapeutic remedies on our coast. Of the influence of 
minerals in bathing waters, too little is known ib serve as a Itasis of 
comparison. The Salt Lake Springs, given in the table of sulphur 
springs, and the Paso Robles Mud Spring, are properly thermal 
springs, and among the most valuable for bathing purposes. A mud 
bath at the Geyser's, deserves to be counted in the same class with 
these ; also the Gilroy Springs, and several other springs, from which 
we have no analysis. 

Paso Robles, notwithstanding its remoteness from railroads and 
seaports, has been one of tiie most noted health resorts of Califor- 
nia. Its mud spring, containing a little iodme, lias the ])cst water 
of its class on the coast. The hotel is well kept. There is a 
good hotel at the Santa Barbara Springs. 



226 



MINERAL SPRINGS. 

THERMAL SPRINGS 





iH 


=^'-^ 


6 ^ 




i 










o r^ 


c t>> 


< >> 


(H* >. 


r/) t*> 










> 


%. 


i 


gg 


1? 




i^ 


i-. 


Constituents. 




11 


5=° 


>«2 
^ ^ 


r. 


sl 


P5 £ 

o S 


II 




M >-> 


fS U 




S s-i 






m o 








II 






to 2 




it 

ft 




'^"^ 


%^ 


5=t? 


Ufcs 


-^^ 










w. 


m 


•< — 




1 








Carbonate of Sodium 


21 


17 


8 


6 


31 


34 


*77 


51 


Carbonate of Ammonia .... 














*108 


* 


Carbonate of Magnesia. . . . 














1 


Carbonate of Peroxide Iron . 










8 
19 








Chloride of Sodium 


6 


5 


8 


22 


20 


85 


27 


Chloride of Magnesia 












1 
2 






Chloride of Potassa 
















Sulphate of Potassa 














1 


Sulphate of Soda 

Sulphate of Lime 


.S 








6 







s 












9 




s 


Peroxide of Iron 
















1 


Borate of Sodium 














*103 
9 

382 




Silica and Alumina . , 


2 

32 


4 

26 


6 
22 






8 
76 


o 


Total solids in a gallon 


28 


64 


94 


Temperature 


114 


117 


1^0 


100 


06 


145 


101 


1^0 


Carbonic Acid Gas 












23 


36 





Sulplnir Springs. — Most of the mineral springs of our slope con- 
tain sulphur, and there are places where hundreds, if not thousands, 
of sulphur springs, or wells, can be found within a radius of five 
miles. The waters generally, however, have apparently little active 
influence on the human system, and few of the springs, containing 
sulphur, have been analyzed. As a general rule, the sulphur waters 
are prized mainly for bathing purposes. The Napa White Sulphur 
Springs are mild purgatives. They have a hotel which, for 20 years, 
was the most fashionable summer resort of California, but of late 
years it has suffered from the competition of many other places, and 
in 1881 the hotel was not open. Calistoga was also a favorite 
pleasure resort for years, and now has a relatively small patronage, 
but its hotel for the accommodation of guests is alwaj^s open. The 
Lake Hot Springs have a hotel and bath house, iind so have the 
Fulton Sulphur Wells. 



MINERAL SPRINGS. T^ . 

The Harbin Sulphur Springs, 21 miles from Calistoga, and 1,700 
feet above the sea, have enjoyed a large patronage for many years. 
A stage leaves Calistoga every morniDg for the springs, of which 
there are half a dozen, varying in tlieir flavors, and called according 
to their tempei'atures and supposed constituents, the hot iron, hot 
arsenic, hot sulphur, cold iron, cold magnesia, etc. The hot sulphur 
has a temperature of 120°. A commodious hotel and bath houses 
are open for guests, and the surrounding country contains much 
game. 

SULPHUR SPRINGS. 



Constituents. 




6 


o 


I- 

i 



So 

r- 

1 


6^ 


S 

1 


i 

u 

OQ 


L 
II 


Carbonate of Soda 


4 








3 


*2 
*13 

12 
*17 

10 






Carbonate of Iron 








"4 

3 
182 




Carbonate of Lime 

Carbonate of Magnesia 

Chloride of Sodium 


*35 


1 

1 

22 

1 
1 
8 
3 


2 

1 

23 

i 

2 


c 

4 
14 

1 

1 

13 

2 


"22 
3 


1 

?6 


Chloride of Lime . 




3 


Chloride of ^fagnesia 






32 
"39 


1 


Sulphate of Soda . . . . 


17 


2 


1 




Sulphate of Lime 




Sulphate of Magnesia 




1 






Peroxide of Iron 












1 

'26I 
100 

""6 




Silica and Alumina 










7 
38 
97 


"'78 

'"7 
4 




Total solids in a gallon 

Temperature 

Carbonic Acid Gas 


X 

29 


37 
90 


42 
86 


41 

70 


31 
200 


Sulphuretted Hydrogen .... 


6 


4 




3 


8 



In reference to the constituents of the Fulton sulphur water 
(which comes from artesian boring, 350 feet deep), there is a dis- 
crepancy between J. H. Hill, of London, England, a man of whom 
we know nothing in California, and J. A. Bauer, a respectable 
chemist of San Francisco. Hill's figures are given in the table, and 
they bear a remarkable resemblance to those of Bauer, who, however, 
found half a grain of carbonate of iron, 17 grains of bicarbonate of 
lime, and 12 grains of bicarbonate of magnesia. According to 
Bauer's analysis, the water has little medicinal value. 



228 MINERAL SPRINGS. 

In Mohawk Valley, Plumas County, 42 miles from Truckee, at an 
elevation of 4,000 feet above the sea, are McClear's Springs, which 
have a hotel and bath-house for the accommodation of visitors. 
The waters are hot and cold, and have a strong flavor of sulphur, 

Campbell's Springs, 28 miles north from Truckee, have hot sul- 
phur water, and are supi^lied with bath-houses and a hotel. 

Other Springs. — Besides the springs mentioned in the preceding 
portions of this chapter, there are others which attract many visitors, 
and are prized mainly for bathing purposes. There are, however, 
several, the waters of which are used internally, and have an exten- 
sive reputation for curative powers. No other spring in California 
stands higher in general estimation than the Bartlett, which has 
frequently 300 or 400 in camp at one time. No analysis of the water 
has ever iDcen published. The spring is in a bare canyon, about 
1,800 feet above the sea, in the eastern part of Lake County. 

One of the most remarkable springs of California, is the Spring 
Thermal Acid, in the Coso Range, Inyo County, containing 10 grains 
each of the sulphates of lime and soda, 1 grain of sulphate of mag- 
nesia, 2 of sulphate of potassa, 23 of persulphate of iron, 89 of per- 
sulphate of aluminum, 55 of free sulphuric acid, together with traces 
of ammonia, lithia, phosphoric acid and chlorine. Total solids in a 
gallon, 190 grains. This analysis, coxDied from the report of 
Wheeler's Survey, shows a wonderful amount of sulphuric acid, 
probably enough to be very injurious to the human system if much 
of the water was used. 

General Remarks. — In reference to the use of mineral waters, 
the following points deserve attention : 

First. — An analysis does not deserve trust, unless it comes from a 
respectable chemist. If anonymous it is suspicious. The propri- 
etors of springs have strong motives for deception. 

Second. — The chemist, in his analysis, does not find carbonate of 
soda, sulphate of magnesia, and chloride of lime, but he finds soda, 
magnesia, lime, chlorine and carbonic and sulphuric acids, and it is 
his duty in making an analysis, to combine these elements, and tell 
the amount of tlie different salts. He may hesitate to make 
these combinations, for fear that he w'ill not get them right, 
but he is more competent than the physician, to make them, and 
without them the analysis is worthless for medicinal purposes. 

Third. — The cures, attributed to mineral waters, are in many 
cases, effected by change in diet and mode of life, rest from labor 
and care, residence in a dry, warm atmosphere, at a considerable 
elevation above the sea, exposure to the sun and open air, or abun- 
dant exercise. 

Fourth. — Certificates of cures, effected by mineral water, when 
given by the patients, generally deserve to be classed with similar 
certificates published by quack doctors. They not only deserve no 
consideration, but throw doubts on the capacity of the manage- 
ment which publishes them. 



MINERAL SPRINGS. 229 

Fifth. — It is not safe for a physician to prescribe mineral waters 
of which he has no analysis by a trustworthy chemist. 

Sixth. — The best way of ascertaining the value of a mineral water, 
is by comparing its analysis with that of European mineral waters, 
the curative effects of which have been proved by long experience. 

Seventh. — Invalids should not use strong mineral waters (contain- 
ing 100 grains of solids to the gallon), in considerable quantity with- 
out medical advice. 

Eighth. — As a general rule, those waters in which chloride of 
sodium (common salt) is the predominant mineral should not be 
prescribed. 

Ninth. — It is an easy matter to find whether mineral water is 
strong, by evaporating a pint of it in an enameled earthenware dish, 
and weighing the solid deposit. A general idea of the constituent 
parts can often be obtained then, by tasting the deposit. If the 
water contains two grains of iron to the gallon, it will, if placed in 
an open plate, within two days throw down a brownish precipitate. 

Tenth. — When a mineral spring commands an extensive patronage, 
and the proprietor does not publish an analysis of it, the presump- 
tion arises that he has had it analyzed, and has been advised that 
the publication would diminish his profits. 

Eleventh. — A qualitative analysis, giving a list of the constituents 
of a mineral water, gives no idea of its medicinal value ; what is 
wanted is a quantitative analysis, showing the amount of eachicon- 
Btituent. 



CHAPTER X. 

DISTANCES, ETC. 



Explanation. — The tables on the following pages have been com- 
piled, for the purpose of showing in the most convenient form, the 
name of every notable place on our slope, its State or Territory, its 
County, its distance by rail, steamer or stage, from the chief center 
of travel in its district, the station where the change is made from 
one mode of conveyance to another, and the total fare. There are 
three sets of tables; the first giving the distances, fares, etc., of 
places in Califoraia, Nevada and Arizona, from San Francisco ; the 
second for distances in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, from Port- 
land ; and the third for distances in Utah and Idaho, from Ogden, 

In the column headed to "Change to stage at," the change in the 
great majority of cases is made from railroad to stage ; but an as- 
terisk placed before the name, indicates that there is a change also 
to river steamer. Thus, passengers for Cerbat, Hackberry, and 
Mineral Park, change at Yuma to river steamer, and at Hardy ville 
to stage ; those for McCracken and Signal, change at Yuma to river 
steamer and at Aubrey to stage. 

The distances from San Francisco are calculated by the shortest 
routes. From San Francisco the distance to Sacramento, by way of 
Benicia, is 90 miles; by Niles and Livermore, 140 miles; by Mar- 
tinez, 151 miles. In some of the Gazetteers the distances to places 
beyond Sacramento, are calculated by way of Martinez or Niles. 
To Lathrop and points south of it, the distance by rail is 11 miles 
less by Niles than by Martinez. 

In condensing the information it has been found convenient to 
use abbreviations of the names of railroads and steamship lines. 
A list of these abbreviations follows : 

B. & C. — Bingham Canyon and Camp Floyd R. R. ; Junction to 
Bingham, 18 miles. 

C. & C. — Carson and Colorado R. R. ; Mound House to Soda 
Springs, 137 miles. 

C. N. — California Northern R. R. ; Marysville to Oroville, 28 miles. 

Cal. P. — CaLfornia Pacific R. R. ; San Francisco to Sacramento, 
90 miles. 

Cal. P. K. L. B.— Cal. P. R. R., Knight's Landing Branch; Davis 
to Woodland, 9 miles. 



DISTANCES, ETC. 231 

Cal. P. N. B.— Cal. P. R. R., Napa Branch; Vallejo toCalistoga, 
40 miles. 

C. P.— Central Pacific R. R.; San Francisco to Ogden, 895 miles. 

0. P. A.— C. P., Amador Branch ; Gait to lone, 27 miles. 

C. P. & K— C. P. and Northern Railway; Oakland to Suisun, 50 
miles ; and Woodland to Willows, 65 miles. 

C. P. N. S. P. & T.— C. P. Northern Railway and San Pablo and 
Tulare R. R. ; Port Costa to Tracy, 51 miles. 

C. P. 0.— C. P. R., Oregon Division; Sacramento to Redding, 
170 miles. 

C. P. S. J. B.— C. P. Branch; Washington to San Jose, 14 miles. 

C. P. & S. P.— C. P. and Southern Pacific, connecting at Goshen. 

C. P. v.— C. P. Visalia Division ; Lathrop to Goshen, 147 miles. 

C. P. W.— C. P. Western Division; San Francisco to Sacramento, 
140 miles. 

C. S. — Coast Steamers, from San Francisco, North and South. 

E. & P.— Eureka and Palisade R. R.; Palisade to Eureka, 90 
miles. 

L. & L— Los Angeles and Independence R. R. ; Los Angeles to 
Santa Monica, 15 miles. 

N. — Northern Railway; Woodland to Willows, 65 miles. 

N. C— Nevada County, Narrow Gauge R. R.j Colfax to Nevada, 
23 miles. 

Nev. C— Nevada Central Railway; Battle Mountain to Austin, 
93 miles. 

N. G. E.— Oregon Railway and Navigation Go's. R. R., narrow 
gauge, east side ; Portland to Brownsville, 100 miles. 

:N^. g. W.— 0. R. & N. R. R., narrow gauge, west side ; Portland 
to Airlie, 83 miles. 

N. P.— Northern Pacific R. R.; Kalama to Tacoma, 105 miles. 

X. P. C— North Pacific Coast R. R.; San Francisco to Duncan's 
Mills, 80 miles. 

N. P. d'O.— Northern Pac. R. R. Pend d'Oreille Division; Wal- 
lula to Lake Pond d'Oreille, 228 miles. 

N. Py.— Northern Pacific R. R., Puyallup Branch ; New Tacoma 
to Carbonado, 34 miles. 

0. C. E.— Oregon and Cal. R. R.; Portland to Roseburg, 197 miles. 

O. C. W.— Oregon and Cal. R. R.; Portland toCorvallis, 96 miles. 

0. R.— Oregon Ptailway and Navigation Co. R. R.; the Dalles to 
Dayton, 196 miles; and from the Dalles to South Texas, 214 miles. 

0. S. — Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's steamers on 
the Willamette, Columbia and Snake Rivers, and on Puget Sound. 

0. T.— Olympia and Tenino R. R.; Tenino to Olympia, 12 miles. 

S. Cz.— Santa Cruz R. R.; Pajaro to Santa Cruz, 22 miles. 

S. C— Stockton to Copperopolis R. R.; Stockton to Oakdale, 34 
miles. 

[A continuation of these abbreviations will be found after the 
tables, 



232 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



»ooooo>o»oo»o»ooooo 



0»010«5000W5 

■-( ec i-H CO CO 



Distance by 
stage. 






O^P^ 



fl.S 



Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by 
rail. 



rl (M »0 --H i-l (N 



C<> Tt< i-H t^, 









Ph 


Q 








d 






















«« 


<i^ 








d8 
















:fiH 




H 


02 




Wpnoj 


f^'^lzi 




f^ 


:q 


•J2; 




'^ 


-T! 




<1a2^ 


CQCO^ 




a: 


:o 


:«^ 


c 


c 


i 


^C 


c 


^ 


^ 


S3i^ 


^ja 


p^ 


a: 


•a: 


<Ja 


idg 



ojo 



PLhPh 
OQ 



O 



P^pL, 



PhPli(1^Ph 
OQOO 



020 



O Ph p^ Pk P-i P-i 

PL^OoQOOO 









-(J "^ 

o ^ 



S . -^^ 

<1> • 03 

CO O 

go 



^ O cS O 

<i^oo 



:o 






p., CO O W h:i CO S P. H 






^ o ® 

O _c3 e 





1 


3- 


:.|a..^= 


Arizon 
Cal 


Nev 

Cal 

Arizon 

Cal 

Nev 



g o boa c«^ 



> ^ tH TJ 

ce 13 «« «« 
+3 +j > c 



O 






DISTANCES, ETC. 



233 



S<iiOOi^O>-OiOOOOiOOOC>C'Q>OOOOOOC>00©L'^00 
»000 0»n</3C^OOO(NOCftOOOiMCC(N»OOiOO»OOiOC)iOO 



©0510— "-<t^0'>*C50 






Q 



W 



o oS 



=2 © 






GO o • o 

> QO CO • QO 



r^(N • • (N . r- -^jH CO lO TjH CD TjH »o CO CO CO t^ r^ -H o o 1:0 (N c^ CO CO 00 cj CO 

•XI O • •"<* •»irii>.t^COl:^COl:^<r-ICO^COOCO^t^l>.00(M(MCOC»CO"^CO 
O CO • • >-i 'lO tJ< TjH tJ< O ■>* U3 .-; ^ ^ ^ P-. ^ F-H ^ ^ ■«* 






OOQ 



o 






;:)QPm OPmojOQ QOO^QooOOOOQ QO O OOP 









0OCOP5 






o • o 
rt «« o 



m 






: o 

© - 



^1 

cwPh 



o 0) 

fl c "i* 

4>^ -g 






Swpm<3p; 



S g S . C O rg 



© c3 . 



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234 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



Distance by 
stage. 



^ s > 

Ji^ o 
Woo 









1? o 



O0^O 






Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by 
rail. 



l>.^COCOQOiOCOOiT*<I>.05CO-<*<Oi<>JC^-HOOOO-*00 
OS lO CD «0 -H O GO CO OO tr^ !>. CO CO tjH Tt< OO t^ O t-' O CO — o 

--lO^ CO --H CO'-H rt^.C^|r-HC^rHr-lir5CO(N 



oo 



•o 
:o 

:^ 






PmPM^ '^ pLH P^ fq Pk P^ P4 p.; „ 
!z;o" ^O^o^OlzJOO" 



>o :o^H 

ciOOOcS § o 

PL( (Ih Pm CL| Ph pL( PL| 

oooooo o 






o- 



c3 '> c5 fS 



o • o -3 • 

o <^ ^ 



"-' 2 ^ • C (D 

nd a n3 o iS c c3 






>} ■ J CO ce c5 c ' 

i|1ii|§l 

O pq go p^ tg; H >-q E^ 






- ;z;0 




DISTANCES, ETC. 



235 



O (M l^ lO O C^ O 



00>OQOOOOOQ»OOQOOO»00 






O lO O O lO (M 

(M Tf^ !>. O C^ C^ 

ox 



C-l LO CC CC LO (N (M lO 
CO ■ <>\ CO CO I— I <-H C5 



^ to 



^ o 
c to 

O SJ ►C ;3 o a^ 



w 



3 S dj 






-^ ■'t O O CO '* LO ■* • Tj< I- Tji LO 
LO C^« CO r- (M '^ . ^ ^ ^ o 



-o O I O o o o — 
I - O CO iM O --H CI 



LO CO O —i CO O O LO 
'^ CO Clt-^ O t:^ -< CO 

<M t^ CO -H r-( CO C^ 



p; 






CO 



o 






02 i^^dsop^ i 






OJP-l 



o 
o 



o 
da 
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OQQ 



rt !5 



3i)_MQc3'^03; 



2|i;l;l 



: bs 






O 



Scoti:Jl2;oSWo:6><c=:ac»oe^^!>'co^o 






rt . ^ 



S.ca 






.>j hM +3 

P3^CQ 



-1 t»^^ >_>o^c_ 






oil 

"^ "? .H 

'n "rt 1? 



tX) o 

o a 

.1 3 






rt rt rt 



02 C 

0-2^ 

11 



go©- 



Oh r/3 



OQ 



g : p p^ ^ .1^ 55 

O 5; o o oO 8 

M CO 05 03 M > > 

d c3 c3 d ^ c3 c3 

'O Q :j o Q o o 



o ■> 



no 

-= o 



<D © 

© © 

o o 



•^ r^ u U U 



oor^ 



© z. 



"OQ 



236 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



I OOOOOi-OUOUtiOOOOOOO^OOOOQOOiO 
OOC^OiO'N(Nt>.tOOOOOO©t^OiOOOO^l:^(N 



Total Fare. 



Distance by 
stage. 



^ 









g 52i Q ^ pq S 



o 

II 



Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by coc^c^jcot^ooco-* -c^ic^fMfN-OTt^iM-Hc^i-^ocJSr-HioiM 



02 02 



OP-i 









fL,PH^PHPH;s^PHllH=a(lHA.( OH^?^'^pHP^'^P-^pHf^PL^C^ 



>» I 






Si^ 



^Pm 



:3 



'GOPm! 









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h!2; 



<o O 



o 






o 

gP 



CI 






O 






W ^ ^ S S3'H 



<s 



• 1-^ rt cc 



O 

S S 2 

j^ ^ o 
'o 'o 



.2.2 3 --2 (^J'e^o^^ 



C3 QJ 



^cJs.j^^i^-S^'c'o'o'o'o'o'o o'o o o o o o o 



o o 

00 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



237 



SOOOOOOiOOQOi.OOOiOOO'-OOi.OOiOOOOOOOOO 
O lO O lO CC -^ c^ O O C5 t^ o n O O O O O fM o t- 1^ o o c^ o t^ o »o 



O C^ lO C5 CCi CI CO CCUO 00 CO CCl o »o 
rt T^ p^ « C^ ^ CO 



OQco 



o 









COC<l(N^GOCN(Nl-^a)C^i:^i:^ 






o> 






Oh'O 



acl^ 



P^Ph. 



"5 02 02 -; -3 jg <Jg Jz; \m'^^m 



2HPH^aipHf^P^P^'^PHpH*'^PHP^pM2H««P^P^'^fl^P^P^AH'^(^PH^?H-^ 




IziO- ^Q 



;z;0 



>>;i3 






to 






«3 > 
tJDO 

O 



o r2 






I* 

C Q 



SO 



ftfi 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



Distance by 

stage. 



-2- 



1=5 a 



Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by 
rail. 



Ig 




§2 

(NO 


CO O O <M Tt* (N O 






Pm : : 
















HPh 


Ph 




d '• 








=3 : : 
















c^cia 


d8 




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H :p^pL, 










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!>H 


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fL 




p: 






p. 


id 


pp 
< 



P4pHPHp^pHP4PMPtHpL<pH,-^f::^flH^PHPHOPjpH^P^p^p^P4 



I cPP.Ht:^ 






11 

o o 



S^ S 






2 



:^ en 



"S-^.S 



a !- 5 i- 



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'Bo 

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<1-5 



— > 



<1 



-a^ 

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PA 






3 .iij rid -bi 



-I! SO 

C3 . 



a '^ 






DISTANCES, ETC. 



'Mt^lr--*OOf0Ol:^(NC5Oi0O-^C-lC)^CSi0-«*i 

— « lO rt ,-, r-^ C^ O "^ .-H CO 



O 1^ O O O O O O O tr: O O O O O O O u- o O O >C i.O o © O ut o o o 
<--:'MOOOOOi0C-lC0CCOi0Ot>.Oir;cCOOOl^C'^O»0Ot-»0i0i0 



239 

ut OOO 



-" — r-1 --i CI 



lO i^ • (>J 00 o 



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::^QO 












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a> 



ti u u 
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O C-l :r C4 O CJ O O O O O O O 1^ 1- CI CO CO iC CO lO lO O CI • CO CO ■* "^ 
XOC0'-it^-*C<l-<^C0:0CIQ0CICiC0-^C5^00^C0CiCICI -l— ClOOt-- 






>0c;8^^00 






Ph 
PhM 



^^Octa'^da i^ot> 



e-,p^fl^p^p^pHP-|p^PHpH'^(l^P^f^PHO-^p^P^PM' 



^Oi 






Ph ^^ Ph O Cm Ph &q 






3 

a 



o u 



M 

ci O 

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P2 c/i CLi -< c/2 



■50^35 



o o 



rt o 



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C3 d 



03 



rt £ SI 



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O fe ^ S 



i: o 



•ilel^tQo 



1^ 



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«5 M s 






^ .-s'-'^ l2 -^ 



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.fj .»:> 4J -tj 

o o 






O 

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-1-3 -4-3 O O 



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o o 



o o 



l_ tj t.1 <U 4) 



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^f^ 






,2 o oj 



o o « 



OOOCOOOOO 



V u u 
bo O) o 
fc- m w 

O >> >5 



240 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



ouoooicoooo»o© 

!>. C^ O Ci 1- O O O O l-^ O 



Distance by 
stage. 



'6666 






bD ^ 
■ fl 0) 



o c 



0<1- 



Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by 
rail. 



t^COOOOOJ^-l^^COOSOCOTtiOCCOOCO'— iOOOD(NCOi-H 
ri CO (N 05 -^ (M --H r-, o (M i— I Th ^ r-l ^ ,-> 



. . . 








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. . . 








. . .dg . . 


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:H : 


E-i : 






. . :o . . 


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:^ : 


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pq : :| : : 


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> : 


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^lz;!^^!z;;z; 


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i '.a: 


oa<J2 


> 


PH<^d3>««^C 


:oo 



p^PMP^fLi'^;^PHP-(PHP-((2^p:^PHPH'^PHPm2HPHfePHP-(P-iH:5 

00^02000000030200000200020000} 



"11 

g-oo 






J.J o G P 



e3 



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o2^o202>-3QcuHc»pH^a2a,HOlz;o2|zi;z;o3pH 



O © 03 

HM'02 



1 


Cal 

Arizon 

Cal 


Nev 
Arizon 

Nev 

Cal 


<1 


.-s^ 




DISTANCES, ETC. 



•241 






■* • o 


O -Tj* . -OO • • 


(NO! • 


• (M rt< LO . . 


• locp -oo 


^ .CO 


Tt< 


c^ 


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JO . . 

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c3 


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. . Dunca 
00 Yuma 




I 


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ill 




Merce 
Soleda 
Orovil 








II 


a 


gg : 






• ; ; 




(N • • • ?l 


cc 




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C>< . . -CO 


<N 








aot^Ci cc 


CO CI re o . lo o »o - 


COO^rJ* Tf 


.^COO • Tfi 


o -co o -^ 


^ iC t^ (M 


<N 00 ■<*< C< 


CO CO 00 Oi ift 


• ■*•<* r^ 


(N 


o 


CO Tt< -* 


ir-u: 


COC^ t- 


CO CO »C 




• l-H l-H l-H 


-?1< 


(N 


Tit ,-<,-, 




• • 


• • 








'^ : 




















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dg • 
























dc3 








d8 : 








ii 








;z 






12; 










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pufi; 


HpHrtfu 


Pk'^W 


p^ 


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Q 






PM 






;z;a2 _ 


'^m^m 


''/3d3'^ 


^ 


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d8 


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CO 


2w : 


O^daP: 


i dg P^ =a 02 ag t> S 


^OdgHC 


m>mOuL 




X 


^co>.*^ '. 


P^PihPhP- 


PmlH ^ P, O PL, PL, PU ^ 


PqPHfePLnP. 


OP^P^PhOPhC 


^QP^PhPm 


:2;a5Qc 


OOOOPhOOOC 


ajOoQajOPMOOTOP^OPMOPMOOO 


: ; ; 


; 




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. . o . . . 
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a • • 


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c3 




: • :-2 


4i :.2 : :-P 




4^ 






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.i^ 


■^3 


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■T3 C8r0 . rrt 




t3 






Mendoc 
Sonoma 
Mojave 




Mojave 

S.LuisO 

Kern... 


!= ^ J: 


Sonoma 
Siskiyoi 
Lake .. 
San Ben 
Yuba . . 


Humbol 
Maripos 
S.LuisO 
Sierra. . 
Ventura 
Humbol 


Tulare . 
Humbol 
Invo . . . 




c 


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>^ 




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>.<-..-.- <o a 


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CO 

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to 



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bO 

t 



;- O ro ►- 
O d i- ^ 






1 S 



o 

13 w 5^ 



w 






242 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



— < o cc o c; o o 
CO ^ C^ 



Distance by 
stage. 



O O o c> 



o 

O cS 

mm 



453 



t>D© 



Ill 
So 



Distance by 
steamer. 



Distance by 
rail. 



(MCOO<MC^iO<N(MCO 

■'^l— ll— (r-Hc— (C^i— 1 I— ( 



coo^iocDOoir;coc»i--fOcoo 

r-H i-l CO (M (N r-t r-i ^ ,^ ^ 







00 



















d • 










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cc^pqP^O 









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:c 


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y^ 


GOCC 






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Sfl^p. 


cgcfe 


a 


|z;o 



PHpL,pL,PL,pHCl|PHpHfL|OfL|fl(PqPL<PL,PL|PH'^'^EqpHpMpHAH 

00 OOOOQl2;i7}P^OOa2QOOOOO<72 0j»QO 



S I I 



^§3 
2 « 






'^ 53 S '^ %^- 



§1 

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CO eS ^ « CO 



ao<jHHl-:lO^^cg0^^HH-^^&^c«a}>^^cc!^a5a3(l^ 



0) 'd 



> 

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HH 1-3 1-5 1-5 



^i^-, 
s:;:^^ 



l-»t-J 



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<D 03 d 

D '^ ».''■' .v"-' >—< _£^ •:; o d jj 

-, r^ - W 0) (U.driH afldO^-n3cSc3 



s 



g c3 o ^ S g bca 
r::^'^^ 3 o o) q -d ^ 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



243 



'^ •— I "^ CJ (M 1-1 C^ 



O (M iM • t- . O 

C-1 ^ CO • c^ • ^ 



;z;o 



o 






03 CI 

c3 13 
►JO 









^ CO lO 

O (N -* 

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U ;^ J5 £5 X i2 ?2 tr t:: ^ '^' o r- o oo -* Tj< 

OC0CC'-H^C0G0|>lTj<^OC0i0l--^OO 



LO 00 F-4 O 

(M i-H i-^ GO 

r-H p-( -co -^ 






pq 
Iz; ;z; Iz; M 02 |s£^ 



•Ph 

S3 
c3 



Ph 



O O O >— I 

r-. -H CO 



qL "^ • '"^ •K-r-'COcia .d3 .020 • • • 

Eq ^ f^ A P^fe;^PH'-f^pHPH(lHPH(^^PL<pHpL,PnOPH(lHaH(l^Qp^a^PUPH 
C<}gOOc0r/}OOQQO.v:OQ^Qr/3OOQp^QQO^fi^^QQ^ 



So ^ 






c3 

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^^ o 



u ^ : 

o a . 

•T3<J . 
e3^ O 



'3 6 

11 



o 



^'^ 



o3 TS oj cj CO 

C © O O rO 

fl rt d Co; 



>»c^ S? fe 2 fl*-' 



^1 






« >»>» 



a a'^ 
a a o 
to tc^ 

eS rt rt 



O 0) o 

d rt rf 






d 
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Pi H 



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fc: 5? « 



d 



0) 

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<JPQ 



S W 03 



03 JX 

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-J t; M 75 M 73 



q O C O C 



^JIfj^H:iH-iH:iH:iH_l^^^_5^^ 



c o 



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H^H-lv-l 



244 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



<-?><!r><=)OOOOOO»0OOOOOiC0Oi0Oi0OtfjO 
rOr-H--H C5T}<OOOeOiO(NC-1'-<Ot^'-t»00(MO 05r-II>. 




































Distance by 
stb^e. 


^^ 








«o -^co 














to 


; 






1 


31 








Duncan'sM'ls 

Merced 

Carson 














1 




1 




Distance by 
steamer. 


^ '. 






















S 


; ; 


; 





Distance by t^^:^S?.Sooti^r-i0^cOTt<coeooc^ot-. 



rail. 



pq 






:h 












(l^P^flHp^PLHp^(l^^PL;P4fl^P^PHpL,pM^C^ 









2 rt ^ 



• o 
: a 

• "o 

■ o 

0) — ' '-' 



O ^ c1 



• o 



11 



-SJ §J ?« 



^ggg:£^J-d:^^^Sd>^Q^^S^S-<iS 



S 3 
o S 















Si?§llil^li1m 



^0-6 s s -5 



--^ \. r^ ■ 



a 
■^^ ^ ^ "-g 

c^ c^ c^ c^ 






c3 d '" 



cr5 o 



35k^^s^^;^ss;^^^^s^s^ss:^^s^ 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



245 



' O © O lO o o 
' O O O t^ C-4 O 



SOOOiOiOOOuO ©O lOtOOiOOOOOOlO 



© t- O (?1 lO 






p^ 



• bo 

O OJ 



^1 



d 
o 

4) M 

J6 






— i(Ml—OrOl:^)r5COt^CO©(N(Mt^©->#©l^©CO— tO©-^OiO(M1^05 

TtHTj<c<i(Mr--^Tj<coi^rt<OT^(Ni-':)^oc^i-':)00©r^-rtti:^aOTi<(N(NOco 

rt rt r^ rt «N -^ ^ <N r-H rt O O t^ >-< Tj< ^ CO -H C<J Tt ^ ,-( rt 



Ph 

^ Hk Pm flH rj. Ph fin* 
00000020 



o!2;o 



3 hS f=i 

ooo 



a? 

PlhPh 

oo 



p^ 

Ph 
O 



Ph 
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>Ph'M 



eS^SpH § 



o 

PL,P-I0 

OOOccOOOP- 



O C« 0) o "^ 



»- « ^ M _i s s 

+f o d -^ S3 cQ 5 
S a? C/: P^ 1-^ CO 1-^ Ph 



£ S ^ 

r-^ "ST^ -^ 



'-I e3 fl 

3^> 






01 . 

<j .2 



A- > 

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: ?2o : o 2 

<Jl H^ ^ S H |2i W O) 



C8^ 3 



5..:. 



- !z;0- 






^i.iil^t|ii=i 



<U OT 



oWP^ 

S.2 



s 

'•si 

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o o .-." .- ::: rzirTSrz: 773 tt::^: r;: .S .S .5 .S .5 .2 0000000000 



^H irH ksH 



246 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



00COC<J O 



O (M O !>■ ■* O O : 



OiOOOOOOOOO 
101>-0»OOIOC5000 



C<Ji-iOOOCOOSOCCO'-H 



Distauce by 
stage. 



•-a 



Who J 



m : 



CQ So 



o . '^ 






CO .d 

^^ 
m 

a 0) 

r/2H 



Distance by 
steamer. 



r— IIO OrHi— I i-Hf— li-H i— ('l— I r— I r— I ,— (r^r— I 



Distance by 
rail. 



OOO 



PhQ 
mm 



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DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



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249 



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250 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



Distance by 
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Distance by 
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Distance by 
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OO'-^OCDC0C::«^C5'-^^O00C»'-HT}^G5(^^>-l•rJ^ 
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DISTANCES, ETC. 



251 



O i-'5 O lO lO 
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252 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



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Distance by 
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Distance by 
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S o .2 s 



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DISTANCES, ETC. 



253 



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254 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare, 



Distance by 
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255 



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256 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



Distance by 


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257 



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258 



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COCOTf<<MODOCCOOQOCN 



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259 



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260 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



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CO I— I 1-1 1- f-t 



Distauce by 
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Distance by 

steamer. 



s 



Distance by c<> c^ o cc • !rj oi o o c^ ci 
rail. ^ -^ ■'-"^ 



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33 



DISTANCES, ]:TC, 



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262 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



Total Fare. 



o Lo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o i-o o L-:) o o o o 

(M C-l t^ t^ (N O O t^ t^ O ut ^ O O t^ O C? O^ — ' CO O C-l O O 



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Distance by 
stage. 



Distance by | ^ 
steamer. j 



Distance by 
rail. 



cor-^Oi— icor^oco 
tJ* C5 O O -* O UO Ci 

I— I r-H CC CO 



l^ (N CD CO 1.0 O CO C<J 

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■7D o: X y] a:' o; X' cc! X CO CO cc 02 oQ 00 a: c/: H H H H 



DISTANCES, ETC. 



203 



.88S 



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M ^ -o r-H CO c:i .-H (>i t^ T^ irj l^^ CO 



c3 



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CO <-l r-t 



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■^ lO CS 00 • -<* 

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c/}a}pHQj/5j/50a30 



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r'r'K'f^r'f-'r-'^r'r-r^r--^ 






111 



264 



Total Fare. 



DISTANCES, ETC. 

o o Lo uo uo <r5 o o o o »o o o o o )0 ir:) o lo o o o o 

O CO(N t^ 1- O O O O iC t^ O O O O <M CO Cl !>• O 'O CC O 
CO CO O -^ O CO CCM <M ^ ^ O CO <M ^ -* -^ O COCO 



Distance by 
stage. 



^2 



Q 



Distanre by 
Bteamer. 



■r>Jo+„^„« K,r I O O «0 O T*i (X) i-O ^ Oi O 1- O Tf Tf* ^ (M <:» O i-O C5 CO O 

Distance byot^(MOcoo»r2'*'<*irt— ((NCMOiOr^oit-c/jtM oo 
rail. ^ ^ <N r^ oi'-i 



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DISTANCES, ETC. 



265 



O O lO O O VO O O O lO O O O O O O >0 O O O »0 Q »0 O O »f5 O O O iO 
»0 O t^ O O t^ <M t^ O CO O O lO O Ci O t^ 1.0 O © t^ O t- lO O t^ u:) t- O CO 

t*rHTi<COcCC©CCC>"^0-*(?1»O^COCOC»-^rf<C1C'1iO^»00'-< COr-i 



: :o ::::::::::;:::::::::::.:: : 

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: :»^ ::::::::::::::::::::::::: : 

. . -^3 

• -^ •''••••'••'''::::::::::!: : 

(M o CI t^ CO r— oD — I CO o oo « CO t>. ■«* CO CO o ^ r-- GO lo CI rt -t o oo «o lo Tj< 

Tj*i-H0S»0C0O»0»0O(Nl>.T}iO'-Hi>.rt*OC0l>»C0OClC0OC-lC0 «0(N>— i 








1 

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Box Elder. . . 
Salt Lake. .. 
Utah 




r 
'5 


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xi 


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1 


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Tooele 

Oneida 

Box Elder. . . 

Tooele 

Weber 

Summit 

Morgan 

Box Elder. . . 


Utah 


: - 


Idaho 
Utah 


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: Ig. ■: . . . 



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266 DISTANCES, ETC. 

S. F. — Saucelito Ferry; San Francisco to Saucelito, 6 miles. 

S. F. & N. P.— San Francisco and North Pacific R. K; S. F. to 
Cloverdale, 84 miles; Fulton to Guerneville, 16 miles. 

S. L. 0.— San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley K R.; San 
Luis Obispo to Port Harford, 11 miles. 

S. P.— Southern Pacific R. R.; San Francisco to El Paso, 1,286 
miles. 

S. P. G. — S. P., Goshen Division; Goshen to Huron, 41 miles. 

S. P. N. — S. P., Northern Division; San Francisco to Monterey, 
125 miles. 

S. P. S.— S. P., Soledad Line; Castroville to Soledad, 33 miles. 

S. P. T. — S. P., Tres Pinos Line ; Carnadero to Tres Pinos, 18 miles. 

S. P. W. — S. P., San Diego Division; Los Angeles to Santa Ana, 
34 miles. 

S. & P. — Sacramento and Placerville R. R.; Sacramento to Shingle 
Springs, 48 miles. 

S. P. C. — South Pacific Coast R. R.; San Francisco to Santa 
Cruz, 81 miles. 

S. Q. — San Quentin Ferry; San Francisco to San Quentin, 12 miles. 

S. V. — Sonoma Valley R. R. ; Sonoma Landing to Sonoma, 10 miles. 

XJ. C— Utah Central R. R.; Ogden to Salt Lake City, 37 miles. 

U. & N.— Utah and Northern R. R.; Ogden to Silver Bow, 409 
miles. 

U. P. — Union Pacific R. R.; Omaha to Ogden, 1,032 miles. 

U. & P.— Utah and Pleasant Valley R. R.; Springfield to Pleasant 
Valley. 

U. S.— Utah Southern R. R. ; Salt Lake City to Frisco, 243 miles. 

U. W. —Utah Western R. R. ; Salt Lake City to Stockton, 37 miles. 

V. & C. L. — Vaca Valley and Clear Lake R. R.; Elmira to Madi- 
son, 29 miles. ^ 

V. T. — Virginiaand Truckee R. R. ; Reno to Virginia City, 52 miles. 

W. & J. — Wasatch and Jordan Valley R. R.; Sandy to Alta, 17 
miles. 

Steamboat Routes. — The leading steamboat routes on our coast, 
are those by sea southward, from San Francisco to Panama ; north- 
ward from San Francisco by sea to Harrisburg, Alaska; eastward 
from the Columbia River Bar, up the Columbia River; and eastward 
from Victoria, across the Gulf of Georgia and up Fraser River. 

The distances south, from the foot of Market street in San Fran- 
cisco, by steamship, are to Point Lobos, 7^ miles; Point Pedro, 19; 
Pillar Point, 26; Pigeon Point, 46; Point New Year, 51; Santa 
Cruz, 70; Monterey, 85; Point Cypress, 88; Point Sur, 104; Cape 
San Martin, 136; Piedras Blancas, 154; San Simeon, 160; Lefling- 
wells, 166; Cayucos, 180; Morro, 185; Point Bouchon, 193; Port 
Harford, 201; Point Sal, 217; Point Arguello, 236; Point Concep- 
ciou, 248; Gaviota, 260; Santa Barbara, 288; Carpenteria, 296; 
San Buenaventura, 311; Hueneme, 321; Point Duma, 344; Santa 
Monica, 361; Point Vincent, 377; Wihnington, 382; San Pedro, 



DISTANCES, ETC. 2G7 

387; Anaheim Landing, 39G; Point Loma, 475; San Diego, 482; 
Mazatlan, 1,194; San Bias, 1,519; Manzanillo, 1,G85; Acapulco, 
1,836; Port Angel, 2,043; Salina Cruz, 2,124; Tonala, 2,204; San 
Benito, 2,300; Champerico, 2,349; San Jose do Guatemala, 2,425; 
Acajutla, 2,485; La Libertad, 2,523; La Union, 2,027; Amapala, 
2,048; Coriuta, 2,711; San Juan del Sur, 2,817; Punta Arenas, 
2,973; and Panama, 3,427 miles. 

The fares to places of importance are as follows : Santa Cruz, $2.50; 
Santa Barbara, §10; San Diego, §15; Mazatlan, $75; Acapulco, 
$100; San Jose de Guatemala, $115; Panama, $125. 

The distances nortli, from the foot of Market street in San Fran- 
cisco, by steamship, are, to Point Bonita, 7 miles; Bolinas Point, 17; 
Point Keyes, 33; Point Tomales, 49; Bodega Head, 52; Point 
Arena, 100; Cuffey'sCove, 112; Little River, 119; Mendocino City, 
122; Shelter Cove, 167; Point Gordo, 184; Cape Mendocino, 195; 
Cape Fortunas, 200; Eel Paver, 205; Hookton, 209; Table Bluff, 
212; Humboldt Bay, 216; Eureka, 222; Areata, 234; Trinidad, 
242; Crescent City, 274; Cape St. George, 276; Chetco, 291 ; Rogue 
River, 313; Port Orford, 336; Cape Blanco, 341; Coquille River, 
360; Cape Gregory, 372 ; Coos Bay, 378; Empire City, 383; Umpqua 
River, 394; Cape Perpetua, 433; Yaquina Bay, 454; Cape Foul- 
weather, 464; Cape Lookout, 486 ; Tillamook Bay, 499; False Tilla- 
mook, 511; Tillamook Head, 522; Columbia River Bar, 540; Cape 
Disappointment, 545; Shoal water . Bay, 569; Gray's Harbor, 588; 
Destruction Island, 634 ; Flattery Rocks, 667 ; Cape Flattery, 680 ; 
Port Townsend, 773; Seattle, 809; Tacoma, 830; Steilacoom, 836; 
Olympia, 855; Victoria, 750 ; Nanaimo, 883; Seymour Rapids, 907; 
Cape Fox, 1,306; Fort Wrangel, 1,434; Sitka, 1,596; and Harris- 
burg, 1,726 miles. 

The fares from San Francisco northward, are, to Humboldt Bay, 
$10; Astoria, and river ports to Portland, $20; Cascade Locks, 
$23.50; the Dalles, $25; Lewiston (Snake River), $40; Port Town - 
send, Seattle, Tacoma, or Olympia, $20; Victoria, B. C, $20; 
Nanaimo, $25; New Westminster, $22; Fort Wrangel, $45; Sitka, 
$55 ; and Harrisburg, $70. 

The distances on the Columbia River from the Bar, are, to Astoria, 
15 miles; Cathlamet, 43; Oak Point, 55; Ranier, 71; Kalama, 80; 
St. Helen's, 91; Willamette, 109; Portland, 121; Cascade Locks, 
58; the Dalles, 98; Ainsworth (mouth of Snake River), 239; Priest 
Rapids, 314; and Lewiston (Idaho), 390. 

The distances on Eraser River from Victoria, are, to New West- 
minster, 75 miles; Maple Ridge, 87; Langley, 92; Riverside, 106; 
Matscjui, 108; Sumas, 116; Chilliwhack, 122; Hope, 160; Yale, 
175; Boston Bar, 125; Lytton, 157; Cache Creek, -^10; Clinton. 
236; Kamloops, 260; Lillooet, 283; Soda Creek, 368; Quesnelle, 
429 ; Stanley, 463 ; and Barkerville, 475 miles. 

General Rules for Travelers,— i^?>s/.— Carry your funds, ex- 
cept so much as you want to use on your journey, in the form of a 



2G8 DISTANCES, ETC. 

draft or letter of credit. If you have no friend at your place of 
destination to identify you, let the banker who gives you the draft 
send your photograph and signature to the drawee. 

Second. — Remember, tliat thieves along leading routes of travel, 
obtain most of their plunder from men who drmk strong liquor, 
show their money and gamble among strangers. 

Third. — Look with suspicion on strangers who claim to be old 
acquaintances. 

Fourth. — When you stop on the road, prefer a reputable hotel, and 
in a small town take the best. 

Fifth. — Buy your railroad or steamboat tickets at the main office, 
not from runners in the streets. If you are going a long distance, 
have a wallet for your ticket, and keep it in a special pocket where 
you can reach it at any moment. Inexperienced travelers often for- 
get where they have put their tickets. 

Sixth. — If you are to occupy a particular berth, section or room, 
examine tlie car or boat beforehand if possible, and select the place 
best adapted to your wants. 

Seventh. — When you have baggage to be delivered or checked, you 
can generally trust the com pan es or firms which are associated wdth 
the railroads or steamboats, and a stranger should deal with them 
rather than witli individuals wlio have no fixed place of business or 
responsibility. 

Eighth. — When your baggage is to be checked, have your ticket 
ready to show, deliver to tiie baggage man only the jiackages that 
are to be checked, and be careful to tell at once the point to which 
your baggage is to go. If the baggage is left where you can examine 
it, you can sec whether the numbers attached to the packages, cor- 
respond with those given to you. 

Ninth. — If you intend to stop over for a day on your way, it is 
the safer plan to have your baggage checked to that point. 

Tenth. — When you change cars, see that your baggage is trans- 
ferred, that should be your hrst care, and attend to your meals after- 
wards. This is especially impoi'tant if your baggage is checked to 
the point where the change of cars occurs. 

Eleventh. — Before starting, enquire how much baggage you can 
carry through free, and do not put anything in a bag, barrel, box or 
bundle, to be checked, unless you know that all the companies on 
your route will give checks for such packages. 

Twelfth. — Unless your trunk is of extra strength, put a stout rope 
in it, of sufficient length to tie it up in case it should be broken. 
The baggage smashers frequently make a considerable profit by sel- 
ling ropes to^ravelers, whose trunks have been broken by needlessly 
rough usage. 

Thirteenth. — If baggage is to be checked, you should be at the 
office half an hour before the train starts, so as to have abundant 
time for seeing that all is right. 

Fourteenth. — Before starting, get a map and time-table, which all 



DISTANCES, ETC. 269 

steamboat and railroad companies should furnish to every patron, 
to give him information about distances and stopping places. Some 
of the railroad time-tables on our coast give the elevations, which 
are often of much interest in a mountainous region. The companies 
which have the most attractive routes and the best management, 
have also, as a general rule, the most complete time-tables and maps. 

Fifteentli. — Provide yourself with small change for use along the 
road. 

Sixteenth. — A long journey by rail, tlirough a sparsely settled 
region, demands a lunch basket, which will give wholesome and 
palatable meals, at regular hours, Avith abundant room and time for 
eating. A little padlock should protect its contents. The pro- 
visions generally should be solid, dry, simple in their nature, free 
from grease or semi-fluid material, nutritious and varied in their 
flavors. Fresh l^read, graham crackers, hard boiled eggs, cheese, 
of several qualities, roast beef, (cross rib, having no bone or waste, 
is excellent for the occasion,) dried figs, prunes and dates, are excel- 
lent staples. Roast chicken or turkey occupies more space than an 
equal amount of nutriment in boneless roast beef. Canned meats 
can be used after the others have been exhausted. Fresh bread and 
cheese should be enclosed in tin, or carefully wrapped up to keep 
from drying out. Tea can be made before starting with such 
strength, that a table-spoonful will be sufficient in a cup of hot 
water, w^hich can be bought at the stations. Borden's condensed 
coffee makes a passable drink, when mixed with either hot or cold 
water. The lack of conveniences for washing dishes on the cars 
should be taken into account, before jellies and greasy mixtures are 
put into the basket. The jjlates, however, can be covered with 
Japanese paper, or thin wooden platters can be used and thrown 
away after every meal. The butter sliould be in a tin cup, without 
a handle. Bottles containing liquids should have the best of corks, 
so that there shall be no leakage. 

Seventeenth. — The stranger in California should learn to recognize 
the poison oak, and then avoid it with care. Many persons can 
handle it, and even eat its leaves and buds with impunity ; others, :; 
by touching it, catch a troubl<;some inflammation, accompanied by 
an intense itching, sometimes by swellings, which are followed on 
very rare occasions by loss of sight or hearing. Many remedies are 
used, and what has cured one sufferer may be of little service to 
another. For the average sufferer, there is no better remedy than 
concentrated spirits of ammonia, applied as a wash. It is most effec- 
tive when used immediately after a good scratching. The applica- 
tion causes acute pain for a few moments, but this is- a trifle as 
compared with the long worry of the poison if not checked. Other 
remedies are saltpetre, common salt, and carbonate of soda, applied 
in strong solution as washes. Steam baths and plasters made of 
nuislin covered witli vaseline, liave also been recommended. 



270 DISTANCE, ETC 

Railroad Time. — In loug journeys hy tail, the traveler should 
pay attention to railroad time. San Francisco is 3 hours 20 minutes 
behind Boston, 3 hrs. 14min. l)ehind New York, 3 hrs. 2min. behind 
Washington, 2 hrs. 19 min. behind Chicago, I hr. 46 min. behind 
Omaha, and 1 hr. 16 min. behind Laramie. 

The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific run on San Francisco 
time. 

The Union Pacific, between Ogden and Cheyenne, runs on Laramie 
time; the Union Pacific, between Cheyenne and Omaha, on Omaha 
time ; the roads between Omaha and Chicago on Chicago time ; the 
roads east of Chicago, on diflferent times, which should be ascertained. 
So long as the traveler keeps on the same meridian, going either 
north or south, his watch neither loses nor gains ; but when he goes 
east or west, he should ascertain the difference. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 




MAP 

SHOWING ROUTE 

S.P.C.R.R. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



James H. Toole. Charles Hudson. 

HUDSON & CO. 

(Successors to Safford, Hudson & Co.) 

BANKERS, 

TUCSON AND TOMBSTONE. ARIZONA. 



Draw Bills of Exchange and make Telegraphic 
Transfers of Money 

On the principal points in Europe and the United States. Receive 
Deposits, Purchase or Make Advances on Territorial and 
County Bonds and Warrants, Approved Commer- 
cial Paper, Etc., and transact a 

GENERAL BANKING BUSINESS. 



Deposits of Bullion made with us or shipped to Anglo-Californian 
Bank, San Francisco, for our account, can be checked against imme- 
diately. 

Orders or requests by mail, or otherwise, will receive strict attention, 
and by a prompt and faithful execution of our correspondents' wishes, 
we will aim to merit their esteem and confidence. 



I 



CORRESPONDENTS. 

Axglo-Californiax Bank, Ld., San Francisco. 
First Natioxal Bank, Los Angeles. 
J. & W. Seligmax «fe Co., New York. 
American Exchange National Bank, New York. 
Ma.ssachusetts National Bank, Boston. 
Central National Bank, Philadelphia. 
Merchant's Loan and Tru.st Co., Chicago. 
Bank of Commerce, St. Louis. 
First National Bank, Santa Fe, New Mexico. 
Porter & Crawford. Silver City, New Mexico. 
Bank of Arizona, Prescott and Phcenix, A. T. 
FisK & Co., Globe City, A. T. 
Bradford National Bank, Bradford, Pa. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Palace Hotel, 

NAPA. 

Leading Hotel of Napa and interior. With all Modern Improvements. 




The Palace Hotel is the most perfectly appointed hotel in the Country and is 
run in connection with the 

i^(ix 



^ 



ffiA»A SOnA gP'BIMeS 



"Sij 



Open all the Year 'Round. 



^ 



Anpi lAIJTFIII DCOADT Located on the mountain side, five miles 
UtLIUlt I rllL ntoUnI p Northeast of Napa City. New Club 
House, Bowling Alley, Elegantly Furnished Rooms — single or en sttite, Bar and Billiard 
Rooms. 

Hot and Cold Napa Soda Water Baths. 

Natural Swimming Bath, 300 feet long. 

Parties can leave San Francisco at 8 o'clock in the morning, spend nearly five hours 
at the Springs, and reach this city on return at lo minutes to 8 o'clock in the evening; 
or leave here at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, arrive at the Springs and take dinner while 
it is yet daylight, and reach this citv on return in the morning at 10 o'clock. . 

Stage for the Springs connects with eveiy train. 

Not on the Pacific Coast is there a public resort combining healthful climate, 
commanding views, and medicinal waters, as fully as these noted Springs. 

WM. J. KELLY, 

Napa Soda Springs Post-office. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



SAX JOSE— N. Y. EXCHANGE HOTEL, 
SI. 00 to .$1.50 p6r day, $5.00 to $8.00 per week. 



P. Warkenstein & Co., Proprietors. 



a AN JOSE— ST. JAMES HOTEL, 

^ $L50 to $2.00 per day. 



Tyler Beach, Proprietor. 



OT. HELENA— ST. HELENA HOTEL, 

^ Enlarged and ready for Summer Boarders. 

Stafjes leave for .^tna and Walter Springs. 
A. Tonolla, Proprietor. 



OTOCKTON— COMMERCIAL HOTEL. 



Free Coach to the Hotel. 

A. J. & J. E. Haiix, Proprietors. 



C. HERRMANN & CO. 

IMTORTERS AMJ .MANIFACTL'REKS OF 
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, 

336 KEARNY STREET, near Pine, San Francisco. 

Send for Catalogue, mailed free. 



Comer Eighth and Franklin Streets, 



•jf^^^^^ 




jAs. F. MORRIS. I ^^ m^mw^^mm\ 

Proprietor./ ^dSX^wMt ^i^^«t^ra»^^^Hi^^^ '■^^ 

HACKS CONNECTING WITH THE HOTEL WILL 
MEET EVERY TRAIN. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Ho! For Oregon and Washington. 



The newly created Transportation System for 
the Pacific Northwest, 

THE OREGON RAILWAY AND 
NAVIGATION GO. 

Dispatches a iirst-ckiss Iron. Screw .Steamer, every five days, between 

SAN FSAK€ISGO AND POSTLAKl), 

This line has the best class of steamers that sails the ocean, with all 
the comfort that ocean travel affords. 



The Company's Railroad Lines reach 

The Willamette Valley in Oregon, 

AND THE 

Walla Walla and Palouse Valleys in Washington Terr'y, 

and so penetrate the wonderful wheat fields that invite settlement in 
the Pacific Northwest; whose production astonishes the world, and 
insures it to be the best new farming region in North America. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



The Steamboat Lines of this Company navigate the Columbia and 
Willamette Rivers, and that wonderful inland sea PUGET SOUND, 
and affords the Tourist views of the 

GRANDEST SCENERY ON THE CONTINENT, 

under delightful conditions of travel. 

Besides the great extent of Government and Railroad Land east 
of the Cascades, The Oregon Improvement Company offers for sale, 
on faA'orable terms, an immense tract of land, as good as the sun 
shines on, located in the heart of the Palouse Valley, with improve- 
ments and new houses included, at cost, so that purchasers can im- 
mediately become producers. 



THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD 

Already connects Xew Taconia, on Puget Sound, with the Columbia 
River at Kalama, a di-stance of 105 miles. Another season will close 
the gap of less than 40 miles ])etween Portlaud and Kalama. 

The Pend d' Oreille Division 

Is completed, 228 miles to Wallula, where junction is made with the 
O. R. & X. Co.'s road to Lake Pend d'Oreille. 

The Clark's Fork Division 

Will be pushed 250 miles eastward tu Ijeyond Missoula in 1882, when 
I there will be 

800 Continuous Miles of Rail from Puget 
Sound to Montana, 

f leaving only 300 miles to complete the Great Northern Route in 1883. 

C. H. PRESCOTT, JOHN MUIR, 

Manager O. R. & N. Co. Sup't of Traffic, O. R. & N. Co.. 

and N. P. R. R., W. Division. 
.7. W. SPRAGUE, 

Gen'l Sup't. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 




Corner of 

First and San Fernando Sts. 



SAN JOSE, CAL, 

J, L. HILL & CO., Proprietors. 



The Lick House is recognized as one of the institutions of the ' 'Garden 
City." Its accommodations are all that families or tourists could wish 
for. The table is furnished with the seasons' productions, and each 
room in the House is a home in itself. 

The Register of our House bears the signatures of hundreds whom 
the faculty*had dispaired of, but owing to the genial climate of San Jose, 
and the kind attentions of the "Lick", they are now convalescent. Our 
references are innumerable. 

With regard to our prices, it has been suggested by one of our Eastern 
visitors, that, instead of "Lick House" we should substitute "Economy 
House" on account of our low charges. 

The bar attached to the Hotel is under the supervision of Mr. L. Hill, 
whose cellars are full of the Choicest Wines. 

To conclude, the whole of the establishment is under the direction 
and superintendence of Mr. and Mrs. Hill, who leave nothing undone 
that can administer to the comfort of their visitors. 

Carriages attend all trains. 

We are situated one minute's walk from the California Theatre. 

"LICK HOUSE," 

SAN JOSE, CAL. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



-^■ 






^mmmmr- 



JAS. H. SWIFT, Prop'r. 



Cor. State <fc Haley Sts., ^W"^ Santa Barbara, Cal. 

This commodious and well appointed Hotel, capable of accommodating one hundred 

and fifty guests, is the most conveniently situated hotel in Santa Barbara being nearest 

to the Beach, P. O. and business portion of the city. The table is unsurpassed by any 

hotel in Southern California. Best of accommodations always offered to traveling men. 

Terms, Two Dollars per Day. 



SIERRA MADRE VILLA, 

SAN GABRIEL, LOS ANGELES CO., CAL. 

A first-class hotel in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, 
1,800 feet above the sea. Climate near perfection, summer and winter. 
In the midst of an orange grove, with all the comforts of a home, over- 
looking the San Gabriel Valley. It is not equaled by any place in the 
State fbr summer or winter residence. Four miles from the Depot, 
and thirteen miles from Los Angeles, 

The house is furnished with gas in every room, hot and cold water 
and the carriage runs to depot and Post-office twice a day. 

For Terms and Rooms, address 

W. p. RHODES, Lessee. 

San Gabriel, Los Angeles Co., Cal. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 




Hi:<<— • 



ouierti M 




&. 



SAN BERNARDINO, CAL. 

KURTM ^& EVANS, Proprietors, 



The House has recently been renovated and refitted, and the 
traveling public will find everything first-class. 




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»».l"l*#.l*.l' .l"i 




MAIN STREET, 
DUNHAM & SCHIEFFELIN, \ 

PROPRIETORS. J 



Los Angeles Cat. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



THE ARLINGTON 

Santa Barbara, Cal. 




mi 




1 H i:- AivLl ALj 1 UA HU 1 hL ib the bir.st appuuited Hotel in Calilurnia, outside of 
San Francisco, being designed and specially built for first-class patronage. The House 
occupies a whole square or five acres of ground, which is superbly laid out in lawns, 
flower gardens, etc. As a delightful Hom^ for families or invalids The Ari.ingt(in' of 
Santa Barbara has no equal on the Pacific Coast. Horse Cars lead directly to the 
ocean beach, where excellent sea-bathing tan be had. 

DIXEY W. THOMPSON, Manager. 




FOSS 6l SON'S 

r Btum M 



Summer Arrangements. 

Passengers leave Sau Francisco, via C. P. R. U., 8 a. m., M.Trkct Street Wharf, anil arrive at Geyser.s 
same day «t half-p.nst 5 p m- 'I'ouri.sts wishing to visit tlie famous petrifled forest can do so without 
losing time — by visiting the Oeyspr- over the ' alistoga route you will ride over the grandest, most 
sublime and finest scenery on the Pacific Slope- the beauties of this ride must be seen to be appreciated. 
Koss, the world-renowned driver, handles the reins with niarvolou.s skill and dexterity. This line 
ronnects at the Geysers with Kennedy's Stage Line for Cloverdale and the Sonoma Valley Jt. R for 
.San Francisco. Tourists wishing to see both the Napa and -onoma Valleys can purchase round trip 
tickets, good for both ways. Tickets for sale at C. P R R. Office, Market Street Wharf. For further 
information apply to Sam .Miller, .No 1' -New Montgomery Street, under Palace Hotel. 



FOSS & SON, Proprietors. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



19 WILLIAM ST., N. Y. 

Ifon and I(ailwai| Bu^ine^^ 

ORES, PIG-IRON, RAILS, ETC. 

The Leading djcIopsedialWorid. 

"Indispensable to the Library, Clergyinan,Laivyer, Physician, Editor, 7eacher,Student, 
ajid all of any calling in life who desire knowledge." 

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA 

The American Reprint— Ninth Fdition. 

This great work is, beyond comparison, superior in its elaborate and exhaustive character to all 
similar works. 

The contributors are the most distinguished and original thinkers and writers of the present and 
of the past. 

This issue is the Ninth revision in a space of over 100 years since its inception, and this reprint, 
a copy in every particular of the British Edition, is the best and cheapest work ever offered to the 
American people. 

The articles are written in a most attractive style, and the quantity of matter in each volume is 
one-third greater per volume than in any other Cyclopiedia sold at the same rates. 

The work contains thousands of Engravings on Steel and Wood, and is printed from entirely new- 
type made expressly for it. 

It will be comprised in 21 Imperial octavo volumes, thirteen of which are not ready, and the 
succeeding volumes will be issued at the rate of three a year 

£*rice per volume, Clotli XBiiidiiag .... :i^o.OO 
I-iil3i-ary Ijeatlier - - - G.OO 

Half T\xrltey- :M:orocco - T.OO 

Half Calf 8.00 

Frill Tvirlcey 3VIoroeco lO.OO 

Sold only by Subscription. For specimen pages apply to the general agents of the Pacific Slope. 

A. L. BANCROFT & CO., San Francisco, Cal. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



UNION HOTEL 



ALLEN & WERTSBAUGHER, 



PROPRIETORS. 



c^S- 



-js) (it 



-^. 



-C GENERAL S T AGE OFFICE~! :>< 

Fine Sample Rooms 

FOR COMMERCIAL TRAVELERS. 



f Hot and Cold Baths Free to Guests. 



CORNER MAIN AND THIRD STREETS, 

CHICa CAL 



AUBURN, PLACER COUNTY, CAL. 



This large and commodious house has just been completed on the same site upon 
which the one stood, recently destroyed by fire, and is now open to the public. It is 
three stories high, with very large and well ventilated rooms, either singly or in suites; 
all of which are heated by steam in the most approved manner. The furniture through- 
out is new and elegant. In the house is a Fine Billiard Table for the use of 
guests. This is the only strictly First-Class House in the county. 

The Table will at all times be supplied with all the delicacies of the season, served 
in a manner to suit the most fastidious taste. 

None but the most polite help employed. 

Free 'Bus to and from all trams. 



S. PUTNAM, Proprietor. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



NEWPORT swiMffle 

Second Avenue Station, 



S. p. C. Narrow Gauge R. R. 

Cars stop at entrance to baths. 



ALAMEDA 



Bath Houses for Deep Sea Bathers with a Fine Sandy Beach. 

Each Bath House has a Glass Roof so that the Bathers on coming out 
of the Sea receive Nature's own Warmth. 

High Water at all tin>es. 

The Most Popular Family Resort on the Pacific Coast. 

From Oakland to the Baths direct by the Narrow Gauge Railroa'Q, 
through Webster Street. 

A Glass Observatory has been erected for the acconnnodation of my 
Patrons in viewing the Bathers. 

These Baths are First-Class in Every Respect. 



Ja Po W©KDEMCH. 



Proprietor. 



T JEi S 




Bill 



MILWAUKEE BOTTLED LAGER BEER. 



The ti'aveling public and tourists — particularly those 
from the Eastern States — will be glad to know that this, 
the Finest of all Brands of Bottled Lager Beer, can now 
)e had at all first-class Hotels and Pleasure Resorts on 
tliis Coast. Overland travelers and excursionists shoiild 
always provide themselves with a liberal supj^ly while en 
route, in order to avoid the danger of drinking impure 
water. 

Can be supplied by all first-class Grocers and Wine and 
Liquor Merchants. 

Call for it, and take no other. 

J. Y. ROSS, 

Sole Agent for the Pacific Coast, 

123 California Street, 

San Francisco, Cal. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



BANCROFTS 



NEW MAP OF 



California and Nevada 



COMPILED FROM THE LATEST AND 
MOST RELIABLE 



OFFICIAL SOURCES AND SPECIAL SURVEYS. 



1882. 



TWELVE MILES TO ONE INCH. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



MOUND COTTAGE HOTEL, 

LAKEPORT, LAKE COUNTY, CAL 

WM. S. COOK, PROPRIETOR 



This Hotel, situated on an elevation from which can be had one of the 

finest \news of Clear Lake, (the most beautiful sheet of 

water in California, ) and surrounding country, 

offers special inducements to 

Seekers after Health and Pleasure. 

The Hotel is retired and quiet; has large pleasant rooms and first- 
class board. No effort will be spared to insure the comfort of guests. 

Two Steamers ply the lake, both landings being in close vicinity to 
the Hotel. Sail or Row Boats always at hand. The Lake is well 
stocked with Trout, Catfish, and Perch. 

Terms Always Reasonable, to Suit the Times. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



TOURISTS ^"^^ '^^"^ "d^d 



that the 



dhicajo and ploi'th We^tBifi] I^ailwaij 

Is the Short Line connecting the Pacific RailAvays 
with the East. 




Xew Passenger Station of the Chicago k Xoith- Western Railway, corner WelLs 
and Kinzie Streets, Chicago, III. 

The OxLY Road operating the 

IMPERIAL PALACE DINING CARS 



-RUNNING THE- 



PULLMAN'S BEST AND FINEST SLEEPING CARS. 



Prompt Connections in Chicago with all 
TRUNK RAILWAYS. 



Secure your Tickets, via tliis FAVORITE LINE. 

J. D. LAYNO, Gen'l Superintendent, W. H. STENNETT, Gen'l Pass. Agent. 
Chicago. 

L. F. BOOTH, Gen'l Agent, 415 Broadway, New York. 
J. M. DAVIES, Gen'l Agent, San Francisco, Cal. 



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ADVERTISEMENTS. 



MONTEREY 



THE MOST CHARMING 



SUMMER AND WINTER RESORT 

ON THE PACIFIC COAST, IS REACHED BY THE 

SOBIElBIi WA^EWim BAIliB 

(NORTHERN DIVISION), 

\ 

Via San Francisco and San Jose. 



■ ■ 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 






"H 


Shelf _3.3^X..^- i 


FE" 


And is hi 

improver 

It is 


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, j 


all modern 

on It 111 up 


spruce ai 






the beach, 


which is unrn 


•alecl tor bathing purposes. 







The Bathing Establishment is unsurpassed— vSpacious SwimmingTinks 
(150x50 feet) for warm salt ivafer Plunge and Swimming Biths. 
Elegant rooms for individual baths, with douche and shower 
facilities. 

Magnificent Beach of pure white sand, for Surf Bathing, etc. 



OPEN ALT. THE YEAR 'ROUND 

For the reception of guests and seekers after health. 



SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR BRIDAL PARTIES 



GEORGE SCHONEWALD, Manager. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



(jOLDEfl l\p. Hotel, 



doi'. peVeqth and \ p$., 



^Adl(AfflEWTO. 



Strictly First-Class in every respect. The Largest, Finest, 
and Best Ventilated Hotel in the City. 




Having tlioroughly renovated and reiitted the (4olden Eagle in all 
its different departments, we are fully prepared to furnish as good 
accommodations to Traveling Men and others as any hotel in the West. 
The Golden Eagle contains over one hundred and fifty rooms, single 
and en suite. 

The location of the Golden Eagle is the most convenient and pleasant 
in the City, being in the center of business, and near all public build- 
ings. The Table is unsurpassed by any liotel on the Coast. 

Free 'Bus to and from Hotel. 

JAMES M^NASSEK, 

(Late of Denver), PROPRIETOR. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



GENERAL OFFICES, EUREKA, NEVADA. 

Connects with Central Pacific R. R. at Palisade. 

SOUTHERN TERMINUS AT 

>-— ^EUREKA,=-^-< 

The Most Prosperous Mining Town in the State of Nevada, 

WHERE STAGES DEPART DAILY FOR 

HAMILTON, WARD, PIOCHE, 

BRISTOL, TYBO, BELMONT, 

— AND — 

ALL OTHER MINING CAMPS SOUTH. 



Time Table: 

TRAINS RUN ON SAN FRANCISCO TIME. 



OFFICERS 



EDGAR IVIILLiS, President. P. EVERTS, Gen'l. Sup't. 

E. F. OATMAN, Secretary. J. I.. FAST, Gen'l. F., P. & T. ilgent. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



FR3M • 

SAN FRANCISCO 



OAKLAND, ALAMEDA, ALAMEDA BATHS, ALVARADO, 

NEWARK, CENTRE VILLE, ALVISO, SANTA CLARA, 

LOS GATOS, ALMA, WRIGHTS, HIGHLAND, 

GLEN WOOD, DOUGHERTYS, FELTON, 

SAN JOSE, BIG TREES AND SANTA CRUZ, 

THROUGH THE 

SANTA CLARA VALLEY, 

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, and 
BIG TREE GROVE, to 



W 



Bay OF Monterey 



For Variety, Novelty, Grandeur and Loveliness, 

The .Scenery cannot be surpassed. 



Tini/CT AMR ( ^^" Montgomery St., and at Pass. Station, 

TICKET AND ) Foot of MarivET St., Sax Fkancisco. 

TELEGRAPH OFFICES: I l^L^p^'^';'^; 



12rH AND Webster, Oakland. 
'i\, Alameda. 



ExcursionTicketsat Low Rates. Parlor Cars on Thmugh Trains. Messagessent toall 
Points. Maps, Folders and Time Tables for distribution. Information cheerfully gi%'en. 

Tickets for a trip across the Bay in the Palatial Steamers of the Company, 
including a Suburban Ride of five miles on a Double Track Road, to the beautiful 
Parks, Gardens, and Baths of Alameda and Oakland, for 15 cents. 

Freights receivc-d at the Company's Commodious Docks, adjoining Passenger Station, 
and Forwarded at Low Rates — safely, quickly, and without re-handling. Vafid claims 
promptly adj usted . 

A. H. FRACKER, R. M. GARRATT, 

Gen'l Sup't. r,en'l Frt. and Pass. Agt. 



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